Total Drama Revenge of the Island Remake
by JojiMC
Summary: It cannot be denied that Total Drama Revenge of the Island was unique. Not only was it the first season in the TD series to bring back a whole new cast, it also brought in a deadlier version of the island. That same cast of thirteen is explored more deeply in this rewritten version of TDROTI, as are friendships, conflicts, and romances... but new relations are formed along the way.
1. Bigger! Badder! Brutal-er! (Part 1)

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Total Drama Revenge of the Island season, or any of its characters.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Welcome to my first TD season story! I am, in fact, finished with this season as of May, so this note has been edited into this chapter. Most of the chapters, mainly the older ones, have been edited for smoother writing, though you still may see a slight difference in quality between the early and late chapters, due to the experience I gained throughout writing this story.

An important aspect of my story that I should point out is that it's fairly close to canon, writing and challenge-wise. Especially at the beginning, you'll find that much of the dialogue and events are the same as or similar to canon. That's not to say that I didn't write my fair share of deviations from the original, but my aim was to_ polish_ the canon season, not completely change it. That means the largest changes occur as character plots grow out of canon constraints that I found to limit their potential, which is a gradual (but not snail-paced, don't worry!) process. What I didn't consider flawed in canon, I didn't change. Conversely, I put some heavy-duty changes on certain challenges, developments, even a few tweaks on certain characters' behavior to make them more complex and realistic. Therefore, I hope you won't be looking for a completely different version of TDROTI so much as a_ better_ one, as I believe them to be two different things in essence.

A slight heads-up: **if you're looking for a radically different elimination order, you will NOT find it here...** **at least, not in the beginning.** Although I personally think the elimination order is different enough from canon, I focused more on interactions and development throughout my writing and changed the canon eliminations accordingly, which is why the order reaches its climax of differentiation from canon in the merge. Therefore,** if you're mainly looking for more exploration of canon plots and characters as well as some new interactions and development, this story should fit your interests.** If your main wishes are all of this _and_ a greatly contrasting elimination order... well, the choice is yours. But if you do read this, I hope you'll enjoy. :-)

P.S. In case you noticed, yes, the episodes are in a somewhat-different order from canon. x) That was intentional, and I changed up the order because I thought certain episodes should've come earlier or later, should've switched with this or that episode, etc. to better-fit plots or occasions.

* * *

A camera looks out into outer space. From its view, an astronaut is shown floating near Earth. The astronaut taps a satellite beside him with his wrench; it flashes green and whirs to life- only to turn back red and fall apart into pieces.

A man's voice speaks; it holds the upbeat, easygoing tone of a person experienced in speaking on television. "We've been to the movies. We've been _around the world_. And this season, we're going right back to where it all began- at Camp Wawanakwa."

The view switches to a dock on which a dark-haired man is standing near a sign that says "WAWANAKWA" in bold red script. His grin catches the sunlight, reflecting it brighter than anyone's teeth can without cosmetic treatment.

He begins walking along the wooden dock, which squeaks under his feet. "I'm Chris McLean, and as you can see, things have changed since we've been away." An intern shows up at a distance, holding up a platter with a coconut drink on it. As Chris stops next to the intern, the Wawanakwa sign tilts down on one end and crashes through the dock.

"And by 'changed'," Chris says, "I meant gotten really, really dangerous." Right on cue, a gigantic octopus leg rises from the water and swings down on the intern, dragging him and a good chunk of the dock with it.

Chris chuckles. "Good stuff. But the rules of the game remain the same: A handful of unsuspecting sixteen-year-old teens will bunk with complete strangers, air their dirty laundry in an outhouse confessional, complete life-threatening challenges all over the island...and risk being voted off. Last one standing wins: ONE, MILLION, DOL-LARS! Speaking of our cast, here they come now!"

A red and white cruise ship speedily approaches, carrying the cast from the past: Lindsay and Tyler sit on the railing edge while locking lips; Eva crosses her arms and stares down the water; Owen and Geoff pump their fists to the party music playing.

Their ship zips right past the dock. "NOOOooooo!" Owen screams in the distance.

"Heheh. No, not _them_," the host says, "this season we've got all _new_ players fighting for the million! And here they come now- for real!"

The new boat is plain white, and rides much slower than the last one.

"Meet, **Jo**." A girl in dark sweats and a sweatshirt has her arms crossed. Her eyes are a proud and intense indigo, looking like they are constantly inviting a challenge. "I have this competition in the bag, trust me."

"**Scott**." A stocky guy in a tank top passes off a smirk to Jo that seems worn-in. His hair resembles a flame, sticking up in sideways spikes. "Yeah, sure, honey. Dream it up all you want."

She squints her eyes at him and scowls, achieving an intimidating appearance that would make most people back away. "Are you mocking me, redneck?"

He gazes upward. "Yup, never heard that one before. Highly original, it is."

"Don't make me punch you on worldwide television."

Scott finally meets her challenge with an aloof stare. "I don't care if you do."

The resolve fades away from Jo's expression. She turns back to the water, but keeps one eye on him. "I'll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine."

"Deal. I'm guessing you want a handshake with that?"

"You guessed wrong."

"**Zoey**." A girl with intense red hair, much darker than Scott's, blinks with a blank expression. She has a doe-eyed look, and her hair is gathered into pigtails. "Oh, am I supposed to say something? Uh, hi, everyone!"

"**Mike**." The teen next to her stands nearly a head taller; the front of his hair adds to his height by standing straight up. His eyes are an unusually warm brown, a more intense expression of his skin tone. He gives an offhand wave, an unconcerned smile, and looks away, though his expression tells a different story about how he is feeling.

"**Lightning**." A male with shoulders like a football player and skin that matches bark in tone points two finger guns at the camera. "Lightning's gonna win the whole sha-bang! Root for Lightning, TV viewers!"

"**Brick**." A built teen with a crew cut salutes, sporting a thick unibrow. "Morning, everyone. I hope you're all doing well."

"**B**." The biggest person of the group wears a hoodie and a jacket that only add to his wide frame. His eyes are as calm and still as a lake, and a cap sits on his head.

"And, **Dawn**." A girl with a curtain of white-blonde locks pays no attention to the camera. She appears to be meditating while sitting on the boat railing.

She opens her eyes and smiles, laying a hand on B's shoulder. "Your aura is exceptionally purplish-green," she says to B, who forms a puzzled expression. "Oh, but it suits you though!" His mouth curls up at that.

"**Dakota**." The only person with orange-tinted shades and sunshine-yellow locks twiddles her fingers at the camera. "Hey there! Dakota here! And I'm going to win thi-"

"**Anne** **Maria**." The epitome of "hourglass figure" purses her lips as she strikes a pose. Several layers of fake tan blend with her naturally bronze skin, turning it copper.

Dakota shoves the girl out of camera view. "Whoa! Who said you could _pan away_ from me?"

Anne Maria rams Dakota to the ground. "Don't push _me_, Blondie!" She pulls out hairspray from her back pocket and proceeds to spray Dakota in a cloud of chemicals.

"**Staci**." A girl, round as a beach ball and wearing a ribbon in her hair, takes note of Anne Maria's skin color. "My great aunt Millie invented suntan," she says in a high, bubbly voice. "_Ja_, before her, people smeared themselves with clay." Anne Maria shoots her with hairspray until she falls down like Dakota.

Anne Maria raises her eyebrows at the spray can in her hand. "This ain't a bad weapon if I say so myself."

"**Cameron**." A deep-skinned boy with circular glasses who looks to be ten years old stands alone near the railing, on the second level of the boat. He takes a deep sniff as seagulls fly across the sky ahead. "Ah, fresh air... We meet at last."

"**Sam**." Back in first level, another much larger and wider guy with glasses seems to be absorbed in his game device.

"Oh yeah! Grenade launcher upgrade!" he says to no one in particular.

The view switches back to Chris at the dock. "Yup," he says, "it's our roughest, toughest, most _explosive _season ever!" He pulls out a single-button remote from his pocket and presses the red button with his thumb.

**KABOOM! **The cruise ship explodes into light, becoming nonexistent in an instant. Every contestant screams as they free-fall into the water.

"Oh, there's more where that came from," Chris says, chuckling. "Right here, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

The contestants are seen up close as they dive into the lake. Cameron crashes torso-first on a protruding boulder, shuddering from the impact. "_Oof!_"

Anne Maria is swimming to keep her head above water. "Chris is so getting the beat down for this!"

Cameron clings on to his boulder. "Help!" he cries out, staring at the waves beneath him.

"Wimp." Scott swims his way past.

"I'll save you, little girl!" Lightning says as he reaches the boulder. He climbs onto it, then scoops up Cameron and tucks him under his arm. He prepares to jump off.

"I'm a boy!" says Cameron. He lets out a scream as Lightning leaps, which becomes gurgled as they hit the water.

Dakota dog-paddling when she spies a boat with photographers approaching. She stops and turns around. "Hi fellas! However did you find me?"

Camera shots go off. "Uh, we got your text?" one man says.

Chris is watching this unfold from an outdoor TV screen as he sits in a lawn chair. "For crying out loud!" he says, throwing down his fruit punch. He takes out a walkie talkie and speaks into it. "Chef, it's your cue."

Chef is overseeing the contestants from above in a helicopter. "Copy that." He retrieves dynamite from the supply area in the back, then drops it onto the end of the photographers' boat.

**BOOM! **The photographers fly off to who-knows-where.

"That was SO uncalled for!" Dakota yells to Chef above.

The most athletic of the contestants are close to the shore. Water sprays everywhere as Jo inches ahead of Brick and Lightning. She is the first to touch sand. Brick sprawls onto the shore beside her, and Lightning releases Cameron from his hold.

"Whoo hoo! First place!" Jo says.

"Aw, man! Lightning would've beat you if he hadn't saved this little girl here," Lightning says, pointing at Cameron as he kneels and coughs up water.

Jo spots someone sitting on a rock and blinks several times. "What the- how did you- you're not even _wet_!"

The girl on the rock is Dawn, examining a starfish while holding it up. She lowers her arm and looks over at the others. "Hm? Oh! I used a shortcut."

Brick bends on one knee and stands up. "Good work, both of you," he says. Jo gives him a look as though she is wishing death upon him, and he steps back. "Whoa, um... Did I say something wrong, ma'am?"

"Don't call me ma'am."

He gulps. "Understood."

Just then, Mike and Zoey walk onto the sand, carrying Staci between them; Scott arrives as well. "Good thing our luggage wasn't on that ship," Mike comments to the people on the beach; several of them nod.

Anne Maria and B swim over after some time. Dakota and Sam join the group last, with Sam checking his GameGuy device for water damage. The campers split up- Mike, Zoey, and Cameron walk over to Dawn by the rocks, while Brick, Lightning, and Jo all stand some distance from one another. Everyone else wanders around on the lake shore.

"Hello," Dawn says as the campers sit on their own separate boulders. "What made you three decide to come join me?"

"Well, it looked like a good sitting spot," Cameron says.

"What he said," Mike says.

"I was just following you guys," Zoey says, grinning at them both. "I'm sooo stoked to be here. I've been watching Total Drama forever!"

Dawn watches her intently. "Yes, you stayed home a lot, watching Total Drama and other shows by yourself."

Zoey sits up straighter, her dark eyes wide. "Huh? Who told you that?"

"Your soul reads like an open book! You had a lonely childhood." Dawn takes Zoey's hand in hers. "It must have been difficult."

Pulling her hand back, Zoey crosses her arms. Mike suddenly gets up, having three pairs of eyes follow him as he leaves. After a moment, Zoey too stands up and walks away.

Cameron glances from them to Dawn. "They must've not liked your soul-reading for some reason."

Dawn sighs and looks at her hands. "It happens. Both of them hold insecurities they'd rather not face."

"Why did you talk about Zoey's, then?"

"I have trouble keeping quiet about other people's problems," she says, furtively pushing her hair back. "It's been a habit of mine ever since I learned how to read souls."

"Can you read mine?" Cameron asks, his expression more curious than afraid.

She smiles. "Sure! It's rare someone actually wants me to. You have lived in a bubble for most of your life, due to your mother worrying about your weak immune system and physical underdevelopment. Because you are used to being sheltered, you feel acute excitement and anxiety about being out here right now."

His eyes spark with new light. "Everything you just said is true! Wow. That's incredible."

"You're very kind," Dawn says, smiling wider. Just then, Chris's voice bellows out of a loudspeaker tied to a nearby tree.

"ATTENTION, FRESH MEAT! SEE THE TRAIL LEADING INTO THE FOREST?" Everyone's eyes go over to a light dirt path off the shore. "RACE TO THE END OF THE TRAIL, AND DO NOT DISTURB THE WILDLIFE. THAT WOULD BE BAD."

Lightning snickers. "Yeah. We wouldn't want to upset the _bunnies_!"

"THE TINIEST SOUND CAN SET THEM OFF. LIKE, **THIS**!" A horn blares through the loudspeaker, making people clap their hands over their ears. Creature growls rise up from the distant forest, and trees start to topple. The campers commence running toward the path for their lives.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM (The Gamer Guy)

Sam looks up from his GameGuy in his lap and chuckles, putting it away. "Gotta have those gaming breaks in between, right folks? I'm already getting a killer workout here on the island! I knew I should've bought that sweet fitness workout game." He scratches his head. "Huh. I just hope I don't actually get killed. I mean, the way Chris blew up our ship was pretty dangerous. And I'm not that good a swimmer, or athlete in general." With a shrug, he pulls out his GameGuy and resumes playing.

* * *

Sam is huffing and puffing by the time he comes to the forest. He slows to a stop once he sees Dakota sitting under a tree, texting. "Hey! Dakota, is it? We're supposed to be running, you know."

Dakota looks up at him, then back to her phone. He steps over to her, holding a hand out for her to grab. "It'll be fine once we get to the finish line. Come on, you can do it."

"Chris isn't making me run after swimming," she says. "He blew up the paparazzi to outer space!"

"When did they show up?" he says in a wondering tone.

He seats himself next to her, and she looks at him for a second before looking back at her phone. "Right after Chris blew up our boat. He's so messed-up, I swear."

Sam shrugs. "I can't argue with that, based on the evidence so far. I can't imagine what he did to the campers in last seasons."

She stares at him, seeming to forget her phone momentarily. "You've never watched the past seasons? Boy, are you in for a treat. Honestly, I want to avoid as much torture as I can during my time here... if that's even possible. I'm not here for that stuff anyway, I'm just here to show off my looks."

"Not for the money?"

"Psht. Daddy has way more than enough."

"If you say so," Sam says, standing up. "I gotta get going. Feel free to join if you want to." He runs back onto the path, huffing in and out. Dakota sees him off before returning her attention to texting.

Jo, Brick, and Lightning race once more on the trail. A squirrel squeals and scampers out of their way. Lightning runs as he would to tackle someone in football, sprinting ahead of the other two.

"Sha-BAM!" He skids across the finish line. "And Lightning wins the Super Bowl!"

Jo comes up behind him. "Whatever, Football Star Wannabe."

"Hey! I _am_ a football star! Back home, I'm captain of my t-"

"I don't care to know, actually."

He sniffs. "You're just jealous I won."

"Am not!"

"Are too!" They begin to yell in each other's faces, filling the air with their shouts.

"GUYS!" Brick separates them, holding his hands out. "Guys, let's not fight. It won't accomplish anything."

"Stay out of this, Crew Cut," Jo snaps.

"You guys done here?" Chris says, sitting on a red ATV several yards away. "Good. Brick, take two steps left. You're on Team A. Jo and Lightning, you're on Team B." Jo and Lightning stare each other down as Brick slides away from them.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO (The Take-No-Prisoners Jockette)

Jo has one leg stretched across the toilet. "I was just trying to set the record straight with Lightning. Make sure he doesn't get any ideas in his head. I want to ensure that I'm team leader, and if Lightning's some sort of team football captain back home, he's a threat to my leadership. I have to keep his confidence down so he does whatever I say."

* * *

Anne Maria reaches the finish line next, panting. "What show are we on, _The Biggest Loser_?"

"No, you're on _Total Drama_ Season Four," Chris says. "You're also on Team A, over there."

She mumbles insults as she walks to where Brick is standing. Mike arrives at the finish then, breathing hard and slowing down on his run. Dawn crosses a moment later, Zoey and a limping Cameron coming up behind her.

"Mike, you're on Team B. Dawn is Team A, Zoey is Team B, and Cameron is Team A," Chris says. The four teens split their separate ways.

"Tripped on a tree branch?" Dawn asks Cameron, as they stand in their places.

"Yeah, just a moment ago. I also smudged my glasses." Cameron proceeds to wipe his glasses lens on his sweatshirt.

Scott soon saunters across the finish line. "I'm just saving my energy for the upcoming challenge."

"That's smart," Mike says, bringing a hand to his neck.

"Thank you!" Scott says pleasantly, smiling for good measure.

"Scott, you are on Team B," Chris says. Scott steps over to Mike, Zoey, Jo, and Lightning; he sizes them up, maintaining a poker face all the while.

Staci arrives, followed by B and then Sam. "Staci, Team A. _B_, Team _B_, heheh. Sam, Team A." The three separate into their teams, with B frowning at Chris.

Brick shields his eyes and looks around. "I think that's everyone."

"Someone's missing," Chris says, rubbing his stubble. "Annoying blonde with paparazzi following her... oh, yeah. Dakota."

"I'm coming!" Dakota shouts, running over to the group. She steps carefully around the mud puddles.

"HURRY UP ALREADY!" Jo says.

She gives Jo an annoyed look, her green eyes flashing for a second. "Sheesh! I just said I'm coming!"

"You're on Team A, Dakota," Chris says.

"Okay!" She heads over to her team. Sam gives her a smile of welcome as she walks past.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON (The Wide-Eyed Bubble Boy)

"Maybe I was hallucinating, but I think I saw Dawn _levitating_ to the finish line earlier," Cameron says. "When I fell on the branch, my eyes were at ground level, and I saw her feet floating..." He shakes his head quickly. "Nope. Definitely hallucinating."

* * *

"Alright, campers!" Chris says from his ATV. "Now, this season of Total Drama will b-"

"What the heck were those animals in the forest?" Scott says.

"You'll find out eventually..." Chris lets out a low laugh that creates chills all around. "Never interrupt me by the way. As I was saying, this season will be a little bit different in several aspects. For example, in every episode, someone _will be_ eliminated."

A gasp erupts from the group. "It's never been that hard before!" Zoey says.

"I know, I'm good! But since you're all first-timers, I'm going to cut you a break and hide this genu-ine McLean brand Chris head! Your free ticket back into the game, even if your teammates vote you off. Whoever finds it will become THE most powerful player in Total Drama history!" Chris fingers his chin. "Is the cleft on my chin really that big?"

Scott smirks. "Yup. And it looks like a butt."

Chris sends a threatening look his way. "Moving _on!_ Time for team names."

"Team Lightning!" Lightning throws his arms up and points at the sky. "No, Lightning SQUAD!"

"Great suggestions, Lightning. But, names have already been chosen by _moi_. Team A, you shall henceforth be known as- _the Toxic Rats_. And Team B, you are hereby dubbed, _the_ _Mutant Maggots_."

"Uh, what's with all the references to chemical waste?" Mike says.

"Let's just say I rented the island out to a company, and the company's product had a little effect on the flora and fauna," Chris says, grinning widely as ever. "Now, before we start our very first challenge, let's give out some rewards. Lightning, 'cause you made it up here before anyone else, your team gets a trampoline! And the Rats get a hacksaw."

Chef is bouncing on the trampoline with the hacksaw, but bounces too far and falls off. Anne Maria laughs and receives a hacksaw in the face. Lightning catches the trampoline thrown at him. "Sha-sweet!"

Chris pulls out a bomb engraved with his face. "What do these items have to do with this bomb? Find out when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE (The Drama Geek)** [1]**

Mike runs a hand through his hair, and it springs back up. "Alright, my first confessional! I guess I should've expected the amount of exercise we're doing, having watched the show a thousand times before, heh. I've always been pretty bad at remembering stuff. It's a little awkward being with the other contestants right now, since none of us know each other, but Cameron and Zoey seem cool so far. Dawn, I'm actually a little bit... scared of? No, just wary. I mean, how was she able to see into Zoey's life like that? It's just- surreal. Not that I should be talking." A light, fast chuckle escapes from him.

* * *

NOTE: Progress reports about the next chapter are always on my profile. Also, reviews and feedback are most appreciated. :-)

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- I firmly don't believe MPD is a stereotype, so I changed his label completely. He still has MPD. I got the new label from Mike acting as though his different personalities were intentional in the canon season.


	2. Bigger! Badder! Brutal-er! (Part 2)

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Cameron, Dakota, Sam, Staci, Dawn

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Zoey, B, Lightning

The teams stand under two large totem poles hung by rope to opposite trees. "These are your team totems," Chris says. "Cut them down and get 'em to the river and ride 'em back to the campground. First team there gets their pick of the cabins. But hurry! The totems are rigged with bombs that'll explode if you don't plant them in front of your cabin in seven minutes or less. Starting, now."

The bombs start beeping by the second.

The Mutant Maggots' totem has an ax stuck in it, meant for cutting the rope. "Alright, let's do this! Yah!" Jo flips onto the trampoline and flies into the river, drawing raised eyebrows from her teammates.

"Stand back. Lightning is ON IT!" Lightning says, starting to climb the tree.

"You might wanna wait for one of us to get the ax first," Zoey suggests, to no effect.

"The jocks sure are eager," Scott snarks to Mike.

Mike shrugs, looking up at the looming totem pole. "At least they're doing something." His sensible reply makes Scott scowl.

Jo comes back dripping all over. "Someone else wanna give the trampoline a turn while I dry off?" she asks dryly.

"I'll go," Scott declares. He gets on the trampoline, crouches down, and launches himself upward on one high bounce.

CRACK! He smashes into the bottom of the totem, making the team cringe. And again. And again. B kicks the trampoline away then, and Scott lands onto the grass.

"Ohhh," he moans.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT (The Troublemaker)

Scott rubs his head painfully. "Remind me never to listen to _Mike_ again," he grumbles. "Lucky I didn't get a concussion. Anyway, I've been coming up with a plan that's sure to wipe the strongest players out of the competition. And since those two happen to be Jo and Lightning, I'll have to sabotage my own team to vote them off." A grin is taking shape on his face. "Talk about fun for Scottie. They won't even know what hit 'em!"

* * *

Meanwhile with the Toxic Rats, the teens stand quietly looking at each other.

"Well, what are we gonna do?" Anne Maria asks, raising her arms and the hacksaw in the air.

"All we need is one person who can climb the tree with the hacksaw and we're golden," Cameron says.

"I volunteer for the duty," says Brick. "While I was in military training we had daily ladder-climbing races, sometimes while holding guns."

"That sounds pretty close to climbing a tree with a hacksaw to me," Sam says.

"Alrighty then, Brick should climb," Cameron decides. Anne Maria hands over the hacksaw to Brick, who begins his ascent up the tree.

"My great great grandfather Edmund invented hacksaws," Staci says. "Before him, people used to hack everything with knives, which were invented by my great great-"

"Aunt Annie?" Dawn says.

"Yah! Do you know her?"

"No, not really."

"Well, she contributed a lot to modern society, like, before her people used to just cut everything with rocks like cave people."

"That's nice," Dawn says, trying to sound sincere. "How about you? Do you want to be an inventor like your, um, great great grandfather and great great aunt?"

Staci opens her mouth- and pauses. "Uh, hm... I dunno..." She creases her eyebrows. "I haven't really thought about it."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK (The Cadet)

"I may be one of the strongest players here due to my military training," Brick says, "but I'm all about the teamwork. Back in Cadets I took the Teamwork medal, the Flag-Folding medal, and the Letters Home to Mom medal! I always win that one." He smiles in remembering.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN (The Moonchild)

"Staci's aura is a burnt sienna, full of nervous energy," Dawn says. "If I keep steering her toward other topics besides her ancestors, it might do some good for her spirit. I can't cure her habit of lying though- only a therapist could do that."

* * *

"Okay, you know what? I'm done with this." Jo gets on the trampoline and bounces once, twice, then lunges for the ax on the third bounce. Grabbing its handle, she swings her body back and forth to dislodge it. Her teammates watch as the ax comes out of the totem and she falls to the trampoline.

She lands on her feet. All the Maggots except Lightning cheer, as he is too high up the tree to see. "Here Lightning!" Jo shouts, throwing the ax so that it lodges in wood a few yards below him.

"Lightning doesn't need no ax!" he claims. "He can just untie the rope!"

"The ax will make you go faster, birdbrain."

A frowning Lightning backtracks to retrieve it.

Cameron looks up at Lightning on the Maggots' tree. "Lightning's going to reach the Maggots' totem in about 20 seconds," he says. "Brick'll take about 35 seconds to reach ours."

Dakota is away getting her picture taken while Chef saws down a thick tree. It tilts over onto the ground between her and the paparazzi. "Hey!" she yelps.

"Chris's orders," Chef says gruffly. A little pink squirrel jumps out from the fallen tree near Dakota.

"Awwh," she says, then shrieks as the squirrel blinks its eyes into vertical slits.

Several of the Rats turn around. Dawn gasps as the animal blinks again. "Oh my gosh! What's wrong with it?"

"It must have something to do with our team names," Anne Maria says. "It sure _looks _like a mutant."

"Weird...I want one!" Dakota says. She crouches closer to the squirrel, which shoots lightning from its eyes at her. She screams and jumps backward.

"Only radioactive exposure could cause that effect in an animal," Cameron says, watching it now. "Maybe the company that Chris mentioned is a bio hazardous waste company."

"My great great great great aunt Millie invented bio hazardous waste," Staci says. "Before her, people used to only deal with ordi-"

"Can it, Staci," Anne Maria says irritably. The team sighs in relief.

The squirrel scampers toward the tree Brick is climbing. Every Rat watches with horror as it begins to go up. "BRICK, WATCH OUT!" they all shout.

"Watch out for what?" he asks, looking down. He blinks. "Is that a naked squirrel?"

"Climb! Faster!" Sam yells. Brick speeds up.

B points in alarm at Brick on the opposite tree. "The other team's gaining on us!" Mike interprets, starting to shudder throughout his body. He gasps for air.

He hunches over with his eyes squinted. "Ah, durn it," he gripes in a sharp withered tone, "cut the danged rope already."

Zoey, Scott, and B all give him weird looks. Jo whirls around. "That's what we're _doing _Mike, whatever your name is," she snaps.

"Mike? The name's Chester," Chester says. "And you watch your tone there missy. Didn't your folks ever teach you respect for your elders?"

"What the heck?" says Scott.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY (The Try-Hard Loner)

(*Note: Yep, I fully changed Zoey's stereotype too. It's hard to be an "indie chick" when you have so many unique people on the show.)

"Wow! I can't believe I'm actually in the Total Drama confessional, it's so exciting!" Zoey lets out. Then she regains her composure. "So- I don't really get Mike's old man comedy routine, but I bet it's really funny if you're from like, France or something. Or maybe I was just tense and didn't notice the humor in it. I've been feeling kinda nervous around everyone- I hope they all like me. I could really use some new friends, or, friends period...oh, what if they all hate me?" She worries at the pink felt clip in her hair. "Maybe this flower was too big. Am I trying too hard?" She looks head-on at the camera. "_You_ like me, right?"

* * *

"Lightning's made it!" Lightning says, perching on the branch where the rope is tied. He hacks at the knot with the ax, and on the third hack the rope gives way, releasing the totem.

"Quick, the trampoline," Jo commands. The Maggots center the trampoline under where Lightning's sitting. He jumps down through the air, getting a springy landing on the trampoline. Jo sprints to the fallen totem and places her hands against its side. "To the river!" Every member follows her lead, Lightning running over to join them as they push.

Brick reaches the rope dangling the other totem just as the squirrel approaches him. **ZZT! **It shoots lightning near him.

"AHH!" he shrieks, crawling away from it. The squirrel gives chase on the branch, trying to zap him as he scurries down the rope onto the totem.

A shot of lightning hits the rope, sizzling it away. Brick plummets along with the totem to the ground, it landing with a loud thump.

He looks down at his teammates and salutes them from the top of the totem. "Mission accomplished."

He joins his team as they begin pushing their totem toward the river. The Maggots are way ahead of them, now heaving their own totem into the water. "Victory is mine- I mean ours!" Jo says as her team climbs aboard and starts moving.

"Hurry, they're getting away!" says Dakota. The Rats shove with all their might; their totem drops in the river with a _plunk_. Each person climbs on, except Cameron who's struggling to. Brick and Sam each lift one of his arms to pull him up.

Cameron expresses his thanks. "Never leave a man behind," Brick replies, smiling.

"More like a little boy," Anne Maria mutters.

The two totems rapidly accelerate in the river currents. The Maggots are the first to experience the waterfall up ahead. "Ah, kids today and their crazy log rides," Chester says as everyone else howls in terror. They fly in midair while hugging their totem for dear life.

A few seconds pass before the Rats reach the falls too. "My first waterfall!" Cameron cheers before screaming with the rest of his team.

The Maggots' totem strikes a hill and leaps back into the air, throwing Zoey's legs out from under her. "HELP!" she shouts, clinging on to the edge by her fingers.

Chester gasps and reverts to Mike. "Huh?" Mike says, looking around. Spying a flash of red hair behind him, he reaches out for Zoey's hand and tugs her back to sitting position.

She's hyperventilating. "T-t-thanks," she manages to get out.

Mike looks bewildered, but he nods and turns back to face front.

The Rats are catching up. B motions for his team to lean forward, to which they oblige. Soon the Rats copy them, and the group of seven keep gaining on the six Maggots.

Back at the cabins, Chris and Chef sit outside in white lounge chairs. "Ahhh. Feels good to be back," Chris says.

A panting sound is heard, and getting closer. Owen enters the campground and stops, leaning heavily on his knees. "Hey Chris! Get this: the boat wouldn't stop," he laments.

"Oh look! It's former player Owen who's _not_ competing this year," Chris says to the camera.

"Heheh, yeah! So I swam back to tell y- WHAT?! NOT COMPETING?"

"I'm afraid you and the other 'classic' players have outlived your usefulness."

"But- but how? Whyyy?" Owen wails. Suddenly he perks up. "Hey, can I be an intern?"

"Mm, well..." Chris looks over to Chef, who just shrugs. "Er...I guess."

"Whoo hoo!" Owen raises a fist in the air. "This place here is paradise man! Whoo HOO!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHRIS (The Sadistic Host)

"Yeah yeah, I know I said the old competitors have outlived their usefulness, but we can always use more interns," Chris says. "The show'll also get higher ratings this way, y'know?"

* * *

The Rats' totem slides into the campground. "Quick, grab the better cabin!" Sam says. They lift the totem over to a stump between the two cabins and place it down vertically.

_Beep. _The time bomb stops ticking.

The team cheers and high-fives each other just as a long shadow flies overhead. The Maggots tumble off their totem before it sails into the majestic white cabin; the bomb on the totem detonates.

**BOOM!** The cabin explodes into charred bits.

There is a stunned silence among the campers. "Too bad..." Chris says. "It had an eight-person hot tub and air conditioning!" The Toxic Rats groan.

"Yah, my great great great uncle James invented log cabins," Staci babbles. "Before him people had to sleep in the trees and they kept falling off all the time. And my great great great aunt Phillis invented roofs, and before her houses were just walls and furniture. And every time it rained you had to get a new sofa!"

Her teammates wear looks of displeasure on their faces.

"_Regardless_," Chris says, "as the only team with a cabin still standing, the Mutant Maggots win the first challenge!"

The winning team's hurrahs are subdued, as they're disoriented from the rough landing they had.

"That ain't fair!" Anne Maria shouts. "We got to the cabins first, _they_ should be eliminating a team member tonight."

"Well, since your cabin got blown up, it's like your arrival never happened," Chris sneers. "But no worries! We got a backup cabin for you. It's every bit as nice as the one you lost."

Chef flies over in a helicopter with a cabin dangling beneath it, dropping the replacement among the rubble. It's exactly the same as the Maggots' cruddy cabin.

"Rats, I'll see you at the campfire tonight for our first elimination ceremony of the season." Chef lands the helicopter, on which Chris climbs aboard. The chopping sound of the helicopter fades away as they fly off.

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

Scott, Lightning, Mike, and B find their luggage gathered in the middle of the room. Scott peels his suitcase off the top of the pile. "Smells just like home," he muses, breathing in the musty cabin scent.

"You mean you live on a stinky farm?" Lightning says scornfully, taking a sniff and gagging.

"Yeah!" Scott says, looking at Lightning in surprise. Both B and Mike are quiet as they grab their suitcases and pick a bunk.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike rests his chin in his hands, a contemplative look on his face. "So I suddenly regain consciousness in the middle of the challenge, and find myself riding the totem with my team down a hill. I was stunned then, but now I just think it's a miracle that I stayed on the totem."

* * *

Zoey and Jo are the only ones on the girls' side of the cabin.

Zoey checks herself in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting her pigtails and flower clip. Jo is doing push ups on the floor, counting them to herself.

"Fifty-seven!... Fifty-eight!... Fifty-nine!" she grunts. Zoey peeks out from around the bathroom door.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Jo is pretty intimidating," Zoey admits. "We haven't talked to each other at all yet, we're just minding our own business."

* * *

**TOXIC RATS' CABIN**

The females have claimed their bunks with their luggage: Anne Maria and Staci take the top while Dakota and Dawn take the bottom.

Anne Maria purses her lips, looking around the cabin room. Dawn is brushing her hair, Dakota is taking a nap, and Staci is sitting while adjusting the hair ribbon on her head. "So, who're you guys thinkin' of votin' off?" Anne Maria inquires.

Dawn hesitates. "I'm not sure yet," she says.

"Well, I'm gonna vote for Miss Chatterbox here-" Anne Maria points at Staci, who goes still- "or the scrawny kid, Caleb or somethin'."

"His name's Cameron," Dawn says. "And why do you say that?"

"I think the reason for my first choice is obvious, no offense Staci," she says. "But Cameron- have you _seen_ him? He's a total weakling!"

"That may be the case, but he's very intelligent beyond his years," Dawn points out. "We might need his abilities in the near future."

"Can you keep it down? If I don't get my beauty sleep I'll lose it!" Dakota whines, wearing a sleeping mask over her eyes.

"Whatever Blondie," Anne Maria scoffs at Dakota.

The males are more cordial to each other in the guys' room of the cabin. "Man, it stinks that we have to vote someone off on the first day," Sam says, lying on the top bunk with his GameGuy.

"Agreed soldier," Brick says. "Back in Cadets no one was booted out on the first week, ever."

"Should we vote off one of the girls?" Cameron asks.

"I'm voting for Staci. Her chatter can get pretty annoying," Sam remarks.

"You have a point there," Brick admits, "but there's also Dakota to consider. She gets distracted easily, which could interfere with the team effort."

"Aw no, not Dakota! She's nice _and_ she's a level ten hottie!" says Sam.

"We'll see what happens tonight," says Cameron. "I know who I'm voting for."

* * *

The Toxic Rats sit on seven individual stumps by the blazing campfire, the night surrounding the area. Their faces are lit, their expressions solemn.

Chris stands at a podium on the other side of the flames. He holds up a tray of marshmallows. "The votes are cast," he says. "Those who receive a regular marshmallow will stay. But this season, one player will receive a very _special_ marshmallow. A marshmallow you do NOT want to eat." He motions to Chef, who bears a small chest; Chef flips open the lid.

The marshmallow inside glows an ominous green. "Whoever receives the marshmallow of toxic loserdom is out of the contest," Chris declares. "Which means, you can never come back. Eh-ver. The following players are safe."

"Brick." Brick stands up, looking relieved.

"Dawn." Dawn rises from her seat.

"Sam." Sam gets up and walks behind Dawn and Brick to Chris with the tray.

The three called have soon taken their marshmallows. "Everyone else got at least one vote, heheh," Chris chuckles. Cameron, Anne Maria, Dakota, and Staci all exchange worried looks.

"Cameron."

"Phew!" Cameron says, retrieving his marshmallow.

"Anne Maria."

"You'll pay, whoever voted for me," Anne Maria warns as she stands up from her stump. Staci gulps.

"And the glowing marshmallow of toxic loserdom goes to..." Dakota takes out a file and feverishly applies it to her nails. Staci clasps her hands together and lifts them up, pleading.

The moment drags on. Chris eyes them both and smiles, tray with one white marshmallow behind his back. He opens his mouth and speaks.

"Dakota_._" Chef throws the toxic marshmallow at Dakota, who squeaks and dodges it.

She stands up. "No! This has to be a mistake! I didn't get my spin-off series yet!" She runs away and wails, and Chef chases after her. Sam's face droops as he watches her leave.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

"Man, I can't believe Dakota's gone! I was ready to repeatedly ask her out and get turned down all season!" He sighs and slouches.

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

A towering catapult sits at the end of the dock, holding Dakota in an uncomfortable position. "Any last words before you ride the Hurl of Shame, Dakota?" Chris said.

She crosses her arms. "Um, yeah. _First_ of all-

Chris releases the catapult, launching her over the lake. "WAHHHHHHHH!"

"It was a rhetorical question." Chris turns to the camera. "One down, twelve to go! Who's next in line? Find out next time, right here on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"


	3. Truth or Laser Shark (Part 1)

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Cameron, Sam, Staci, Dawn

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Zoey, B, Lightning

ELIMINATED: Dakota

**RECAP**

Chris stands on the dock, facing the camera. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: Thirteen new competitors were blown away by this year's challenge. They were treated to an early morning swim, said hello to the island's wildlife, and did some totem swimming. Explosive! In the end, the Maggots sent famemonger Dakota packing, Hurl of Shame style. Who will go home next? How much pain can I put them through first? Find out right now, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

Out of the four males on the team, only B sleeps peacefully. Scott's bunk is vacant, while Mike grumbles in his sleep, not sounding like himself.

"These young whippersnappers, with all their yammerin' and tomfoolery," he complains in Chester's voice. Lightning in the bed above groans quietly, turning sideways.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING (The Athletic Overachiever)

There are dark bags under Lightning's eyes, which bulge out white. "If Lightning knew that Mike was a sleep talker, he would've parked on the other side of the room! He kept waking up at random times throughout the night thanks to Mike. Why does the dude talk in that weird old man's voice?... Lightning doesn't even wanna _know_ what he dreamed about."

* * *

_**SLAM!** _All three males sit up, alert. Their eyes land on Scott, who has flattened himself against the door, shivering all over.

"Hey, Scott," Lightning says. "Where were y- uh, what's with all the dirt?"

"Oh, well..." Scott acquires a smirk in his features. "Just had an early morning _make out_ session with one of the honeys."

"Sha-dizzy!" Lightning says appreciatively. He leaps from his bunk and lands in front of Scott. "Which one?"

"Umm..." _A spiky-backed beaver monster sprints after a shrieking Scott through the woods. _"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"You're a gentleman?" Mike yawns, gaining a glare from the redhead.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Alright, I was out looking for that hidden immunity item," Scott admits. "Not that they need to know. It's all part of my strategy- let my team lose so I can vote off our strongest teammates with the guarantee I'll be safe from elimination. While I work on my team, the Maggots will also develop a false sense of security- until I _pick 'em off_!" Something scrapes at the door from the outside. "Occu-pied!"

The same beaver that chased him bashes its huge head through the wood. Scott recoils against the wall. "AHHHH!"

* * *

**TOXIC RATS' CABIN**

Dawn sits on her bunk meditating, and Staci lies in her bed with the blanket pulled over. Anne Maria's bed is empty, and the bathroom door is closed. The blonde girl opens one blue eye. "You are awake, Staci. I sense your active aura."

Staci blinks and sits up, the blanket falling. "How'd you know? I mean, I didn't want to disturb your meditation, if that's what you're doing."

"Don't worry, you're fine. I always sense auras around me, and I acknowledge them at will." Dawn turns herself to Staci, keeping her legs crossed. "So, I would like to learn more about you, if you don't mind. I will only analyze your aura briefly."

Staci shuffles in place, her eyes flickering back and forth. "_Jah_, I don't think I'd really like that very much. It's probably not much to look at, anyways."

"Do you mind if I just ask a few questions, then?"

"Did you know my great great great great great great aunt Justine created the question? Before her, everyone just took everything that was said to them as fact."

"Staci," Dawn sighs, "I know you're avoiding answering me. Please just tell me if I've upset you."

The other girl looks at her inscrutably, then shakes her head. "No, you haven't upset me. As I was saying-"

"Don't start, Parrot," Anne Maria barks from behind the bathroom door. "I ain't about to listen to your tall tale while poofing my hair up."

Staci wilts, then retreats into her bed, facing the wall. "I'm not upset," she whispers, almost too soft for Dawn to hear. Dawn glances at her before she returns to her original meditative stance, the skin creasing between her eyebrows.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Staci's aura is hard to explore deeply, due to the way her compulsion to lie disturbs it," she says. "It's like trying to look through rippled water, quite similar to Mike's. The only way I could read it properly is if she stayed still and quiet for a while, though the latter may be too difficult for her. And truthfully, I don't want to if it will break her trust towards me. I'll have to wait until enough of that is present in her."

* * *

The camera view shows Brick jogging toward the cabin area on one side, and Jo jogging on the other. Both shut their eyes and power themselves forward- into each other.

"OW!" They both yelp as they crash to the ground.

Jo holds her head, breathing hard. "Just did my 5k run. You?"

"8k!" Brick says, rubbing his crew cut.

"I mean I did an 8k warm up, then 5k at a full sprint."

"My entire run was uphill."

"Yeah, uphill with my eyes_ shut_!"

"I ran backwards with earplugs!"

"Why earplugs?"

"I dunno!"

"Team Maggot is lucky to have me," Jo brags. "I led them to victory in the challenge yesterday."

Brick smiles. "Good for you."

Jo blinks. She stands up. "Well, be prepared to lose again with me on the other team," she taunts.

Brick gets on his feet. "We'll see about that soon enough."

Jo and Brick split apart to their cabins.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Brick can't lead his own team, he's too big a softie," Jo says. "He lacks the aggression a leader needs to go the distance. Just watch, I'll snap him like this-" She snaps a branch, flinches, and examines her hand. "Ow! Splinter! Why you little-"

* * *

**HOOOOOONK! **Campers immediately pile out of their cabins, grouching about the obnoxious air horn. Chris stands waiting in front of them. "Up and at 'em, my little morning glories," he mocks. "Time for today's challenge."

"What? But Lightning hasn't had his D-P-A!" Lightning says. His team gives him strange looks.

"Um, what's that?" Mike asks.

"Daily Protein Allotment?" Lightning folds his arms. "Duh."

"You can catch up on your Z's and DPA _after_ the challenge," Chris says. He gets into his ATV. "Right this way, to the Bay of Dismay."

Dakota makes a call on her cellphone. "Hey! It's me. We're going to some bay or s-"

Her phone is fished out of her hand by Chris's magnetic fishing rod. "Heeey!" she complains. While Sam is also on his Gameguy, Chris takes his device too.

"Contraband!" Chris says. "Now it's mine- confiscators keepers. C'mon! Your humiliation awaits."

* * *

The campers follow in one big group behind Chris's car in the forest. "The Bay of Dismay? Yikes!" Zoey exclaims. "Kind of sounds like one of those fight locations in Total Warriors 2."

"What are you, some kind of movie geek?" Jo says, squinting at her.

"You like action movies?" Mike inquires.

"They're a hobby of mine," Zoey reveals, looking back and forth between the two.

"Heheh, cool. I like them, too."

Zoey relaxes as Jo turns away. "What's your favorite?"

"The first Total Warriors movie," he says. "Gotta stick to the original."

"Even if the sequel turns out to be better?"

"Hey, the sequel still got its roots from the first. Besides, only the _action_ part is better."

"Which is what the whole movie's about!" she laughs.

"Not the entire movie, what about the acting, plot, setting, et cetera?" Mike is ticking the list contents on his fingers; he drops his hand. "We should just agree to disagree."

"Agreed, truce," Zoey says, sticking out her hand; Mike shakes it. They continue walking alongside each other.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Okay, the second Total Warriors movie WAS better," Mike concedes. "Though the acting was better in the first Total Warriors- you could totally believe the warriors were real. I always re-watch it for that."

* * *

"I hope this isn't another physical challenge," Cameron says to Jo beside him. "I prefer something a little more- academic."

"I bet you do, toothpick," Jo mocks. "I'm surprised your scrawny neck can even support that giant head."

"My greatest strengths are mental!" Cameron says, clear anger in his voice.

"Well, you're mental if you think you can win Total Drama without getting physical. Just stay out of my way." Jo leaves him behind.

Lightning soon jogs up to take Cameron's place. "Woah. Why were you being so harsh to the little girl?" he asks Jo.

"Toothpick's a _guy_, genius," Jo says. "And haven't you ever heard of taunting the other team?"

"Sure, Lightning's done that before in his football games. But Cameron's not tough like us men, so Lightning would cut the girl- er, guy- some slack if he were you."

"Who are you calling a man?" she snarls.

"Um, us?"

Anne Maria tries to engage B in conversation. "So what do ya think the challenge is gonna be?" B purses his lips without replying. "You don't talk much, do ya?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: B (The Strong Silent Genius)

B helplessly shrugs.

* * *

In the challenge arena, everyone sits in rows of seats separated by teams. Each camper eyes the individual red buzzer in front of them, as well as the body of water surrounding them below. A massive screen resides in the front wall facing the arena, and Chris stands underneath it.

"Welcome to the Getting to Know You trivia game challenge!" Chris proclaims. "Is everyone strapped in all nice and snug?"

"Too snug!" Scott says, struggling with his harness. "It's cutting into my shoulders!"

"Yeah, children-size harnesses will do that." Chris laughs and turns to the camera. "I'll be asking our players embarrassing personal questions, and I mean _majorly humiliating_. If the player I'm talking about hits the poorly-wired buzzer and owns their humiliation before the time runs out, their team gets a point. First team to five wins Part One and a distinct advantage in Part Two. But, if no one owns up, _this_ happens!" Chris presses a remote button with a thumb, sending Team Maggot's side underwater.

The members plunged look around and see nothing- until a shark rises up in front of them, jaws open wide. They all let out gurgled screams as they are thrust back up to the surface, the shark biting empty air.

"There's some kind of two-legged shark monster down there!" Mike sputters, looking terrified as the rest of the team.

"You mean Fang?" Chris says. "Heheh, yeah. It turns toxic waste can mess with stuff underwater too. Who knew? Anywho, if the team gets dumped, the opponents can _steal_ by guessing which dunk-ee is guilty. Guess right, and you get a point. Guess wrong and-" Chris presses the button again, dunking the Toxic Rats into the water- "that happens. Now that we understand the rules, let's start the game!"

"To the Rats!" Chris addresses the freshly-soaked team. "Now listen carefully: Who did this on the one and only date they ever had?" The question mark showing on the screen lets out a noisy fart with green gas, making many of the teens laugh.

Sam flushes red all over. "Where did you _get_ that?" he says as he presses his buzzer. He gets a shock. "Ow!"

"The Rats get the first point! Okay, Maggots: Whose real name is Beverly?

After a while, B buzzes in, glumly raising his hand.

"Correct,_ Beverly_. Maggots get the point. But, I would've preferred a verbal response. So as a quick punishment-" The Toxic Rats get dunked, pausing at the water's sandy bottom.

Fang races over and engulfs Scott in the bottom row. As the team rises back up, Scott pries open Fang's jaws and swims out. "No! Wait for me!" he screams through the water.

Zoey helps Scott up onto the seats. He winces as he sits down beside her, and reaches down to pull a sharp object out of his butt. "Oww," he moans, then furrows his eyebrows at the find. "A shark tooth?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: FANG (The Two-Legged Shark Monster)

Fang holds up a hand mirror, lifting a fin to his tooth gap. He snaps the mirror in half. "_Grrrrrr._"

* * *

"Rats: Who wet their pants on the first, AND last day of school?" The screen now displays an image of jeans wet in the front, and laughter among the campers fills the air.

Brick bites his lip, looking around. He presses his buzzer and feels a spark. "Yow! Fine, it was me." Spare giggles follow his statement.

"Maggots: Who needs to see THREE therapists?"

Lightning whistles. "Someone here's got problems." The rest of the Maggots are quiet. Dawn stares at a certain Maggot over the water, causing him to look away.

"Time's up," Chris says with a grin. The team takes a dive.

They soon break the surface, gasping and spitting out water. "It's him who's guilty," Anne Maria shouts, pointing at a dripping-wet Lightning.

He glares at her. "Hey! Just because Lightning said something doesn't mean it's him."

"Oooh, sorry Anne Maria," Chris says. "Your wrong answer will cost ya." The Rats go under, and rise up glowering at Anne Maria.

"It's two to one," Chris announces, looking overhead at the scoreboard. "Rats, you're in the lead. Next question: Who is not a natural blonde?" The screen shows a brown wig with blonde dye sliding off it.

The Rats look at their two candidates: Dawn and Dakota. Dakota is talking on what seems to be a backup phone. "I would never pollute the water with toxic dye chemicals," Dawn says.

"You're out of time, Rats!" Chris says, pressing his remote once more. When they come back to the surface, everyone on the team directs deep scowls at Dakota.

"Aw, come on!" she groans, watching her waterlogged cellphone short out. "You're going to pay for my new phone, Chris! Make that TWO phones!"

"Not according to this contract!" Chris waves a pile of papers in the air. He lowers his arm to check his watch. "We're running low on time, which means that: Maggots, this will be the last question. If you get the point, you and the Rats will receive a tiebreaker question. If you don't, the Rats win Part One of this challenge. The final question: Who was once a cheerleader?"

"Ugh, I hate cheerleaders," Jo says, crossing her arms.

"You know, my great great great great great great great great-"

"No one's fessing up? What a shame," Chris says with fake sympathy. The Maggots take the plunge. Scott screams as Fang hurries toward him; he and his team ascend before the mutant shark can reach him.

"The Rats win two to one!" Chris declares. "You guys will get a major advantage in Part Two of the challenge. Stay tuned to see all of Part Two's slips, trips, and plenty of hits, right here on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

"The last word didn't rhyme," Scott says snidely.

"Zip it!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Having three different therapists isn't bad!" Mike protests. "My psychiatrist gives me my medications, my psychologist works out the complications in my brain, and my counselor's my confidant for whenever I'm having a hard time dealing with...it." He looks at the camera. "None of the other contestants will see this, right?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"I sensed a disturbance in Mike for one of the questions," Dawn says. "I didn't point him out because it's linked to something he really wants to keep under wraps. I didn't expose Jo either, since it would've been a blow to her already-fragile confidence. I'm just relieved my consideration didn't cost my team the challenge."

* * *

The campers are walking again on the forest path. "Thank goodness the challenge ended before Chris could ask _me_ any embarrassing questions!" Cameron says to his team.

"Let me guess," Jo calls out, "'who needs their diaper changed?'"

"I haven't worn a diaper since I was eleven!" Cameron squeaks. The group erupts in laughter.

"Challenge is over. You don't have to keep humiliating yourself," Brick informs, smiling.

"No, please, go on," Jo laughs. "Or does Baby need his bottle?"

Cameron's eyebrows draw together as he narrows his eyes. "I have just as much right to be here as you!" he shouts. "And I'll prove it in the next challenge. You'll see!"

B focuses on the ground, kicking up dirt as he walks. Mike looks at him from the side and opens his mouth, pausing a moment before speaking. "Hey, B. Sorry about what went on back there."

B blinks up at him. A few seconds later, he points at himself, then at Mike.

Mike's forehead crinkles. "You're sorry for me, too?" B nods. "It's okay. Could've been worse." The other male lengthens his mouth, but he leaves his question unasked. A brief silence passes, and they turn their attention back to their surroundings.


	4. Truth or Laser Shark (Part 2)

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Cameron, Sam, Staci, Dawn

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Zoey, B, Lightning

ELIMINATED: Dakota

The teams arrive at a wooden ramp leading onto a low platform structure that stretches on beyond their vision. Every teen looks more alert as they register the colossal swinging boot near the start line.

Chris walks over to a grassy area above the surrounding mud. "Welcome players! Now that you're all here, it's time for Part Two of today's challenge: The Mad Skills Obstacle Course. The relay race begins with a mad dash from the Kickstart." He motions to the boot in front of the campers. "Forget coffee- if this baby doesn't get you going, nothing will."

"Then it's off to the race against time that is the Cannonball Run." Rows of cannons are hung by wooden beams over the target area.

"Over to my personal fav, Wrecking Ball Alley! Hurts _so good_." A wrecking ball sways above a line of rolling logs.

"And moving on, we head to the Gang Plank. Complete with rabid mutant beavers." Each precarious plank is at jumping distance from the other. Spiky-backed beavers wait at the muddy bottom, gnashing their teeth.

"Followed by the bouncy agony of Double Trouble." Four red balls take turns springing up and down.

"And finally- the Grand Slam. Where you'll use ropes to swing into the giant baseball mitt, while avoiding those deadly bats. Piece of cake! The losing team gets to wear snazzy specs while competing, heheh." Chef carries a box of glasses, which the Mutant Maggots dig into.

"Hey, what's with the grandpa glasses?" Jo says, squinting at her pair. She puts them on and looks around. "We won't be able to see anything wearing these!"

Zoey puts on hers. "These are pretty cool! I have a pair like these at home."

"Dorktacular goggles won't make Part Two easy- or attractive. But it can be done, _in theory_." Chris chuckles. "Competitors, take your positions!"

The camera view flashes to the Kickstart. "First off at the Kickstart is Jo and Anne Maria." Anne Maria smiles at Jo, who's scowling with the glasses on.

"Then it's Scott versus Dawn at the Cannonball Run." Scott stares at the ground, trying to locate his feet.

"B faces Sam in Wrecking Ball Alley." B and Sam watch the wrecking ball swing near them, blowing wind past their faces.

"Zoey is up against Brick at the Gang Plank." Brick clutches Zoey as they stand on the first plank, both looking down anxiously.

"Mike and Staci will battle Double Trouble, and Lightning will fight Cameron for the Grand Slam. First team to finish wins the whole sha-bang, and the other team loses a member tonight. Since it's a relay race, you'll need something to pass: your mascots! Oh, intern!"

Owen runs over to the Kickstart, handling two beige pet carriers. Monstrous growls come from inside them, and Anne Maria and Jo glance at each other. "Here!" Owen yelps, lifting a beagle-sized maggot to Jo, who takes it. Anne Maria receives a naked rabid rat; both contestants hold their mascots far away from them.

"And, GO!" Chris blows his air horn.

**THWACK! **The boot knocks Anne Maria into the sky. "AHHHH-" Her scream is muffled by the mud she lands in.

Jo runs ahead, jumping over the platform gap. "Go, go!" she shouts, thrusting the maggot at Scott.

"Alright!" he snaps, taking the slimy creature. Just as he enters the Cannonball Run, a cannonball hurtles toward him.

"Whoa!" Scott ducks. Two cannons fire together, then three more. "Agh!" he yells, running away from the barrage.

"Other way!" Jo says, shoving him back to the course. A cannonball hits him in the stomach, and he goes down with a groan.

Chris acts as commentator with his loudspeaker. "MAGGOTS GOT AN EARLY LEAD, BUT SCOTT IS DOWN AND THE RATS ARE CATCHING UP!"

Anne Maria reaches Dawn; she shoves the mud-covered rat in Dawn's face. "Go!"

Dawn passes by Scott, who is on his knees while clutching his stomach. All the cannons tilt toward her face, and she gulps. "Anybody wanna swap?"

The rat chitters to her, pointing at the nearest cannon. "What's that? Duck now?" She ducks just as the cannon shoots at her, the cannonball breaking a wooden pole.

"Lay it on me!" Sam says as Dawn approaches. She obliges, giving him the rat. Sam steps onto the first rolling log in Wrecking Ball Alley, wobbling to keep his balance.

Scott staggers over to B. "Here!" he gasps, passing on the maggot. B takes it and walks carefully behind Sam, both ducking as the wrecking ball hurtles toward them.

The rat is quivering with Sam's movement. It chomps down on his arm. "AH! I've been bit!" He tips sideways into the mud. The wrecking ball approaches behind B, who jumps just as it arrives.

It hits him to land right in front of Zoey. B gets up and hands Zoey the maggot, then dusts himself off.

"Nice moves back there! I never would've thought of that myself," Zoey says. B gives a thumbs up, and points ahead at the rest of the Gang Plank. "Oh, right. Sorry!" She leaves Brick as she jumps onto the second plank. She pauses at chomping sounds beneath her; the wood lifting the plank collapses, plummeting her into the beavers.

"HAHAH!" Chris laughs. "TOLD YA THIS WOULDN'T BE EASY."

Sam climbs back onto the platform and runs to the Gang Plank. "Here Brick," he says, holding the mud-caked rat over the gap between them.

"Sir yes sir!" Brick salutes and takes it. He crouches, then springs over where the second plank was, grabbing the edge of the next one. He heaves himself up onto the wood.

"Go Brick!" Sam pumps a fist in the air.

Brick crosses the rest of the planks. "Here you go, ma'am," he says, giving the rat to Staci. She winces as it enters her hands with a _squelch_, but turns to the next obstacle right away.

A beaver has apprehended Zoey from behind. "Please, let me go!" she cries. Another beaver takes out a bottle of ketchup and opens the cap. Zoey gasps.

"I said, _let me go_!" She kicks the beaver facing her in the crotch, and it falls over with a whimper. She lashes a foot out behind her and her holder lets go, joining the other beaver lying in the mud. Zoey cringes at the sight. "Ooh, sorry! But I did tell you to stop!"

Staci shudders at the moving obstacle ahead of her. "This is not gonna end well for me, I don't think..." She leaps onto the first ball. _Boing! Boing! Boing! Boing! _"Woooah!" She face-plants into the mud, just missing the platform.

Zoey pulls herself onto the platform. "Mike!" she calls out.

He turns at her voice and runs over, receiving the maggot. "Thanks!" He sprints back toward the Double Trouble. As it gets closer and closer, his breathing grows fast and anxious. "Okay, Mike. It's just some jumps over an area you can barely see. You can do this, c'mon."

Mike gasps. He now holds his head high with shining eyes. He tiptoes quickly to the obstacle, holding the maggot over his head. "No, only one person can do dis: Svetlana! Ze Olympic Queen of gymnas-teeks!"

He conquers the Double Trouble in two flips. "A-a-a-a!" he sings shrilly upon landing. Lightning and Cameron gape at him.

"WOAH! MIKE UNVEILS A SECRET SKILL AND THE MAGGOTS RETAKE THE LEAD!" Chris says.

"Woah! How did you _do_ that?" Cameron says.

Svetlana gasps and reverts to Mike. "Huh?" he says, looking around and then back at the course. "Do what?" He laughs a little and gives the maggot to Lightning. "Here ya go!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"I think I have a pretty good idea what happened," Mike says, and face-palms. "_Svetlana_."

* * *

Staci drops the rat into Cameron's arms. Her entire front is slicked with mud, and she wrings her hands out. Mud flies off of them. **  
**

Cameron turns to face the Grand Slam. He watches as Lightning swings off the edge to the giant glove surrounded by giant baseball bats. "Sha-_yeah!_" Lightning yells. He swings too fast, flying over it. The rope falls back to where Cameron is standing.

Cameron strokes his chin. "Velocity times mass times wind speed equals..." He grabs the rope, walks back three steps, and jumps.

A strong breeze moves him toward one of the bats. "Uh oh- _oof_!" He crashes into it, dropping the rope. "I should've swung _during_ the wind blow," he moans.

"Have to swing softer," Lightning murmurs, getting back on the platform.

"You can do this Lightning!" Mike shouts.

"Yeah, yeah." Lightning frowns at Mike before swinging once more.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"So apparently, Mike acts as an old man AND a female gymnast," Lightning says, raising an eyebrow. "He is one weird dude. Well, that's method actors for ya. My pops told me that once!"

* * *

Lightning flies in the direction of a bat. He twists around and leaps from the rope, tumbling into the glove from the side.

"THE MAGGOTS WIN!" Chris announces. "TO THE MAGGOTS GO THE SPOILS: MCLEAN-BRAND SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER- GUARANTEED TO WASH OFF THE STINK. RATS, SEE YOU AT THE ELIMINATION CEREMONY."

"Way to come through for the team, Jockstrap!" Jo shouts in the distance. The Maggots clap and whistle in agreement.

"Told ya this team should've been named after me!" Lightning gloats, grinning in triumph.

The contestants walk off the obstacle course, Jo collecting the Maggots' reward from Chef. They all begin to head back toward their cabins.

Dawn walks up to Cameron along the path. "I sense negativity in your aura," she tells him. "It's not good for you to bottle up your feelings. What's wrong?"

He puts his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. "Oh, you know... just sad I lost the challenge for our team."

"We all lost the challenge," Dawn corrects. "You can't just blame yourself."

"Yeah, I guess." Cameron sounds doubtful. "I pretty much proved Jo's point about having to get physical to win Total Drama."

"You also need smarts to win Total Drama. You have those."

"Well, I knew I would be at a physical disadvantage to the other contestants at least," Cameron says. "I just forgot to factor in the social disadvantage I might have as well, related to my height. I'm looked down upon, both literally _and_ figuratively."

"It's also your demeanor that makes you seem vulnerable," Dawn says. "Have confidence, try your best for our team, and you'll receive respect from everyone soon enough."

Cameron looks at her. "You make a good point there, Dawn," he says, smiling. "Thank you!"

"No problem," she says as they arrive in the cabin area. "See you at the campfire!" She disappears into the girls' side of their cabin.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"Dawn's really nice," Cameron says. "We're also similar in some ways, like how we're both short and have high voices." He smiles. "Heh. I have a habit of making connections."

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

Jo and Zoey lie down on opposite sides of the room. Jo has her back turned to Zoey while facing the wall.

Zoey stares at Jo's short blonde head, biting her lip. "Um," she starts. "Jo. Are you awake? Sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"As a matter of fact, you are." Jo turns to face her. "What do you want?"

"Well-" Zoey hesitates. "I think that if we want to perform better in the challenges, we should talk to each other more. Get to know each other. What do you think?"

"We already won today's and yesterday's challenge," Jo says, eyebrows creased. "I don't see why it matters."

"I mean, if we want to have better teamwork- never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Good." Jo flips over again. Zoey's face is downcast.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I'm not here to make friends," Jo declares. "Especially not with girly girl Red wearing that pink flower. What is she, some sort of hippie wannabe?"

* * *

The Toxic Rats fill up the seats once more at the campfire. The atmosphere throbs with foreboding, the teens sneaking restless glances at each other.

"The votes are cast," Chris says, Chef beside him. "Everyone gets a marshmallow tonight- even the loser. But that loser will get a marshmallow they do NOT want to eat. Rats, you were also here last time, so you understand what these marshmallows signify." He holds up a tray of marshmallows. "_Safety_. Sweet, sweet relief. The following players are safe."

"Sam."

"Sweet relief!" Sam says, walking over to receive his marshmallow.

"Dawn." Dawn smiles and stands up.

"Brick."

Brick gets up and high-fives Dawn. "Nice job, teammate."

"Anne Maria."

"Which leaves, Staci and Cameron," Chris says.

"And the marshmallow of loserdom goes to..." Cameron rests his fists on his chin, staring at the last white marshmallow. Staci clasps her hands together and puts them up.

Chris slowly lifts one finger and points it at the voted-off contestant. "_Staci._" Chef throws the glowing marshmallow at Staci, who catches it.

Staci drops like the marshmallow like it is hot, and it sinks into the ground. "Aww, but I was doing so good!" She stands up and sighs. "I guess it's the Dock of Shame for me then."

"Actually, we came up with something _new_ this season!" Chris says. "You'll looove it."

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

A towering catapult sits at the end of the dock. "Say hello to the Hurl of Shame!" Chris says. "Patent-pending."

The Rats watch as Staci climbs into the scoop. "Bye, Staci," Dawn says, regret in her tone.

"Bye Dawn, bye everyone!" Staci says. "You know, my great great gra-"

_Wham! _The scoop launches Staci high over the lake, quivering from the impact.

"Two down, eleven to go," Chris says, facing the camera. "Who's next in line? Find out next time, right here on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

VOTING CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Staci has annoyed just about everyone here, including myself," Dawn sighs. "Cameron may have cost us the challenge, but he is still much more beneficial to our team in the long run. If you see this, Staci, I'm sorry, and I have nothing against you."

* * *

VOTING CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Staci, you seem nice, but none of us can take your chatter. Sorry about this."

* * *

VOTiNG CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA

"If I hear Staci talk about a fake relative one more time, I swear I'm gonna tear my hair out. You know she said her great great whateva, Gertrude, invented hairspray earlier today? That is FALSE."

* * *

NOTE: You may have noticed a change in Brick and Lightning throughout the story, such as Brick being much more competent at challenges and Lightning being kinder to others. Reasons being: If Brick was as accident-prone as he was in the canon, how on earth did he survive military school? And Lightning acted similar to how I'm portraying him in the beginning of the canon season, until he started to become meaner and more selfish (not to mention extremely dumb). I thought he would work much better as a team player with some arrogance, but a winning spirit.


	5. Ice Ice Baby (Part 1)

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This story has reached 1,000 views! To everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, followed, and recommended my story: _Thank you_. A special mention to WishStar, a reviewer who has given me several excellent suggestions. Another one to xebla, whose Total Drama All-Stars remake inspired me to make my own (of TDROTI). Go check his remake- it's the bomb!

Also, I've gotten several suggestions for Brick to be paired up with someone. Having finished this story by now, I can say with no uncertainty that he isn't with anyone- at least, not in this particular season. You should still watch out for attraction on his part, however. ;-) I liked the pairings in the canon, so I'm going to pretty much remain true to them. Only difference is, I'll be giving them more conflict and development.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Cameron, Sam, Dawn

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Zoey, B, Lightning

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci

**RECAP**

Chris stands on the dock, beaming at the camera. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: We learned that although our campers are here to win, they're all losers in one way or another. Really, really big losers. It was a psychological butt-kicking that quickly turned literal!... then comical... then _hysterical_. Mwahahahah. But in the end, Staci got the biggest boot of all-" He lifts one hand and curls his fingers mockingly- "buh byeee. I love my job! Stay tuned as more things blow up, more contestants throw up, and some even try to hook up." He makes a heart with his hands. "Right here, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

In the boys' side of the cabin, B is the only one sleeping. Scott's bunk is empty. Lightning is hanging over his top bunk, meeting eye to eye with Mike in the bed underneath. "Look Mike, can you stop practicing your characters throughout the entire night?"

Mike's eyebrows rise up to his forehead. "I was doing what? Uh, I mean, sorry about that, Lightning. I'll keep quiet from now on."

"Great. Thanks." Lightning pulls his head back up.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Okay, okay, I admit it." Mike rakes a hand through his severe bedhead and sighs. "I have Multiple Personality Disorder. It's the reason why I need all my therapists. I can't tell Lightning or anyone else because... well, they'll see me differently. That's the kind of thing I've been trying to get away from."

* * *

By the time it's seven in the morning, all the campers are in the main lodge eating breakfast. They are separated by teams at two tables.

"My grandma eats this every day," Zoey says, spooning up her gruel. She swallows it down and makes a face. "I'm not sure how."

"Must be an acquired taste," Mike says next to her, smiling at her expression. "Do you live with her?"

"My grandma? Yeah, just her and my hamster."

A silent second passes by between them. "How is she?"

"She's awesome! She's really caring and talkative, and her cooking is the best you've ever tasted. Well, actually, you haven't yet." Zoey laughs.

"She sounds really nice. When can I meet her?"

"After Total Drama's over, if you want."

He lets out a startled laugh. "I was joking about that."

Zoey's voice rises a note. "Oops! Sorry!"

"No, it's fine! I shouldn't have made that lame joke, anyway."

At the Toxic Rats' table, Sam gulps down a spoonful of gruel- and chokes. He coughs it up onto Anne Maria's face. "Now I know why 'gruel' rhymes with 'cruel'," he says, looking at his bowl in distaste. Anne Maria glares at him until he finally looks up. "Oh. Sorry Anne Maria!" He gets clocked by her bowl.

Scott chuckles at this.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

Scott is chipping at a stick with his shark tooth. "What a total wimp Sam is. I grew up on a dirt farm! I can always chomp on a clod if _I_ get the munchies." He takes out a rock-like lump from his pocket and bites down on it. When he smiles at the camera, teeth fragments fall to the ground. He looks down with wide eyes.

* * *

"What's so funny Scott?" Zoey asks over the table.

"Just- the other team," Scott says with a smirk. "They can't keep down their own gruel."

Lightning sits between Jo and Scott, his DPA container next to his bowl. He hums as he scoops up some protein powder and sprinkles it on his food. Jo and Scott watch as Lightning stirs in the powder, then eats a mouthful.

He begins to hack loudly. The jock stands from the table, clutching his throat. Jo gets up and raises a fist. "Easy on the powder diet, Jockstrap." She punches the back of his throat, and a beetle flies out of his mouth.

"Now that's just wrong!" Lightning says, pointing at his gruel.

Dawn comes by their table and picks the beetle off the ground. She strokes its back with her finger. "It's okay little one, you're safe now." A few Maggots witness her walk away.

B, sitting near the end of the table, hears soft squeaking beside him. He turns his head and sees a gray rat with glimmering green eyes sitting on the corner. Just as he moves to notify his teammates of the strange animal, it stands up and floats into the air.

_PSH-ZOOM! _It shoots lasers across the room, burning holes in the wall near Brick's head. "AHH!" he shrieks, dropping his spoon. The campers flee for the door away from the green laser show, closing the door as it forms its own holes.

The teens race down the steps outside the cabin. As they stand around to catch their breath, the loudspeaker pole crackles; Chris's voice booms out of it. "ATTENTION PLAYERS! PLEASE HEAD DIRECTLY TO THE LOOMING TRAGEDY THAT IS: MOUNT LOOMING TRAGEDY. YOUR RACE BEGINS...NOW!" A horn blares through the loudspeaker.

"Maggots, ho!" Jo swings an arm forward, and the Maggots begin running behind her. The Rats quickly follow.

* * *

Soon everyone reaches the top of the hill. Many of the campers gasp for breath, and Cameron staggers away from the group to a bush.

"_Ohhh_," he moans, falling to his knees and throwing up.

Everyone's eyes go to him. "If we were hamsters, I would've _eaten_ you by now," Jo says.

Chris whistles loudly nearby, and the teens turn around. "Okay, mutant food!" he addresses. "On to the challenge!: Part One is an uphill battle. You have to climb all the way up to that cliff." He points at the towering rock structure ahead of them. "First team to the top gets an advantage in Part Two. You can climb with your hands, or use whatever you can find in this pile." He jabs a thumb at the small mountain of trash behind him. "Don't worry, this junkyard doesn't have a dog...it has a giant mutant beetle!"

A hissing sound comes from the trash pile. Every camper gasps as a human-sized beetle scuttles out and stands guard over its territory.

"Big guy's a bit of a hoarder," Chris explains cheerily. "His estate is full of useful crud, and disgusting crud. That is, if you can get near it!" A deep horn sounds from the top of Mount Looming Tragedy. "It is ON!"

The teens race for the mountain. "Let's hustle Maggots!" Jo yells. "Double time!"

"Come on Rats, we can do this!" Brick shouts.

Cameron reaches up and grabs onto a ledge. His body trembles as he lifts himself a centimeter. "Shirt's- so heavy," he wheezes. "Socks- weighing me down!" He slides to the ground. "Oof!"

"Your team is floundering down there," Jo tells Brick, both climbing at a fast pace along with Lightning.

"Huh?" Brick looks down to see only Sam making progress, and very little at that. "Well, what about your own teammate over there?"

"What are you-" She twists her head around. Mike, Zoey, and Scott are several feet below, but B is standing in front of the garbage pile. "GET CLIMBING, BEVERLY!"

Lightning snickers. "Poor guy, being named _Beverly_."

Chris walks up to Anne Maria, who's checking herself in a compact mirror. "And will the lady be participating?"

"Pfft. Have you seen my nails? These are why I drive with my feet!"

Dawn jumps for a rock ledge several times, grunting in the effort. Sam's body slips down the mountain next to her.

"Aaand I'm officially done. Good night, everybody." He slumps onto the dirt.

Cameron walks over to the two. "Maybe we should follow his lead," he says, pointing at B, who is reaching for a radioactive barrel.

_Szzzt! _The beetle shoots fire from its mouth at B. He jumps backward, hands shielding his face.

"We must distract this tortured soul!" Dawn says, running over. As B blocks the beetle's fire with a fridge door, Dawn darts forward and grabs a recorder instrument off the pile.

"Toss it here!" Sam says. "I've got Folk Band 3 at home AND the high score!" Dawn throws it to him. He puts the recorder to his lips and plays a shrill, off-beat tune.

The beetle hisses at the noise. It hops off its pile and starts rolling toward Sam. "Aaah!" he screams, running around with it on his tail. "The console makes better music!"

Lightning approaches the cliff. Seeing this from his outdoor TV screen, Chris gets out his walkie talkie and speaks to Chef. "You know what to do: ice 'em!"

Chef grins. He is surrounded by giant ice cubes stacked like boxes. "Copy that, Chris."

"Chef, make way for the Lightning!" the jock says.

Chef picks up one ice cube and walks over to the edge, aiming it to fall directly on Lightning. He lets it drop.

**WHACK! **It smashes on his head. "OW!" Lightning yells. His eyes flutter shut. He collapses on top of Brick, sending them both to the bottom of the mountain.

Jo continues to climb. Chef hurls two ice cubes at her, both which she dodges. "Gotta get up pret-ty early Chef," she teases, making him scowl.

Lightning and Brick land in a heap next to Sam, who is being crushed again and again by the beetle. "Feel free to help any time," he says, feebly raising an arm.

Dawn strokes her chin. "Hm...Wait!" She takes out the baby beetle from this morning, showing it to Sam's attacker. "Is this why you're so distraught?"

The baby beetle jumps out of her hand and crawls to its mother. The mother stops crunching Sam and picks up the baby beetle, the livid look in its eyes disappearing. It seems to smile as it scuttles away with its young.

"That was _beautiful_," Dawn sighs.

"We need to get climbing!" Brick says, climbing out from under Lightning, who is out cold. He looks at Dawn and Cameron. "I think I can piggyback one of you."

"Carry Cameron, I'll manage on my own," Dawn says, sprinting over to the trash heap with Sam. Cameron gets on Brick's back; Brick starts scaling the mountain.

"Come on!" Sam shouts, passing by Anne Maria.

"Fine, whateva," she says. She joins them at the junk pile as they rifle through it.

Meanwhile at the top, Scott, Mike, Zoey, and Jo are in peril. Chef manages to land a well-placed ice cube on Jo, sending her along with Scott below. "Hehehe," Chef chuckles, throwing ice cubes like a machine at Zoey and Mike. Mike saves Zoey as she is struck by one, only to get hit by an ice cube himself and plummet through the sky.

"Mike!" she yelps, looking down below. She experiences vertigo and turns away, closing her eyes.

The rest of the Maggots are watching B as he steps onto his new invention. A worn-out sofa sticks to the top of a radioactive barrel that has fireworks tied around it with rope. B holds two wires, blue and green, which are connected to the fireworks. He motions his team to climb on.

"What kind of crazy idea is this?" Jo says. Nonetheless, she runs over to a dazed Lightning and slings him over her shoulder before sitting on the sofa. Scott stays on the ground, grabbing the furniture leg.

B watches the sky, the wires limp in his hands. "What are we waiting for?" Scott demands. He is answered by Mike's scream getting closer every second. The Maggots look up to see Mike directly above them.

He lands on the couch. "Am I alive?" he asks, looking around to see the faces of his teammates. "Wow, that sure was a soft landing."

B puts the blue and green wires together. The structure shoots up like a rocket in a series of sparks. Lightning wakes right up. "Sha-boom, brother!" he shouts as they speed past Brick and Cameron, who gaze after them with surprised expressions. Dawn, Sam, and Anne Maria look up too, abandoning their search through the garbage.**  
**

They reach the top. B leans hard sideways and separates the wires, landing them on top of Chef. Zoey arrives just then, pulling herself onto the cliff. She looks up. "Whoa, how'd you guys get here?"

Chris rises over the team in a jet pack. "And the Maggots win, thanks to B!" he declares.

"Whoo hoo! Team Maggot's unstoppable!" Lightning points both hands in the air.

Just then, Scott falls through the air into the ground. "OW!" he says.

"Okay, NOW the Maggots win," Chris says. "Heheh."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"I'm not interested in eliminating Jo and Lightning right now," Scott says. "I have a much bigger fish to fry. Beverly, the _explosives expert mime,_ has to GO!" He drives his shark tooth into the wall.

* * *

"Who else is heading for a fall?" Chris says, hovering above Scott. "Literally. Find out after the break, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"


	6. Ice Ice Baby (Part 2)

The group of teens has found itself in a winter wonderland. Sans jackets.

Chris, decked out in a snow suit, beams at the shivering teens. "Greetings, ice teams! Cold enough for ya?" They all chatter their teeth in response. "Heheh. I'll take that as a 'yes'." He hands Zoey the red Maggots' flag and Lightning the green Rats' flag. "Time for Part Two of today's challenge: capture the snow fort. To win, you have to either demolish the enemy's fort, or capture their flag and bring it back to your own fort. Maggots won the first part, so they get first dibs on the forts."

"W-w-well d-d-duh! W-we'll t-t-take the c-castle!" Jo says. The Maggots shuffle toward their fort, the Rats heading off to the other.

The Maggots walk inside their spacious castle. Glittering walls made of snow bricks surround them on four sides. Lightning puts up two fists. "Yes! Lightning can already taste victory!"

"Yeah!" says Mike, raising his hand for a high five. Lightning obliges.

The Rats enter their fort, which is barely taller than them. It looks like crooked pillars of snow were mushed together in a circle. "Hey, at least it's not that cramped in here," Sam says.

"It stinks," Anne Maria says flatly. The Rats nod in response, and Sam sighs.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA (The Jersey Shore Reject)

"Sure, I didn't do Mount Loomin' Whateva, but I do wanna win a million dollars," Anne Maria says. "Just not at the expense of my looks!" She gestures at her poufy hair and bronzed body. "I mean, check me out, perfect hair, perfect tan- all this is worth a _billion_, easy."

* * *

Chris stands near Chef while he sets up lawn chairs by a campfire. The host brings his trusty loudspeaker to his lips. "LISTEN UP CAMPERS! HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: YOU JUST USE THE SHOVEL IN YOUR FORT TO FIRE YOUR COLLECTION OF MYSTERY SNOWBALLS AT THE OTHER TEAM'S FORT."

Scott runs over to his team's shovel and pulls it backward, testing its spring. "Awesome! I took out my uncle's left eye with a meatball this way!"

"Why would you do that?" Mike asks, looking disturbed.

"There was a feud between us," Scott replies, "but I got the last laugh." Mike widens his eyes a fraction.

Zoey cups her hands around her mouth and calls out to Chris. "WHY ARE THEY CALLED 'MYSTERY BALLS'?"

"BECAUSE THEY ALL INFLICT MAJOR DAMAGE, THANKS TO THE SECRET WEAPON HIDDEN INSIDE EACH BALL!" he replies. "BUT SOME WILL DAMAGE _YOU_. SO, CHOOSE WISELY. EACH TEAM HAS TO ELECT A CAPTAIN TO COMMAND AND CONQUER. STARTING...NOW!"

Lightning and Jo say, "As team captain, I say we-"

They stop and glare at each other. "Since when do _you_ wanna be team leader?" Jo demands.

"All the last challenges relied on our skills as individuals," Lightning says. "But this, this is a team sport! Lightning will make our team sha-champions!"

"I can't take you seriously when you talk in third person, Sha-Dork. Let's thumb wrestle to decide." Jo and Lightning lock their hands together and engage in serious thrusting of their thumbs. Lightning catches Jo's thumb leaning backwards, and bends it further. Just as it looks like hers is about to break, Jo slides her thumb around his and pins his down, leaving Lightning with no power but to wiggle the end.

"You snake!" Lightning gasps, taking back his hand.

"And I'm proud of it." Jo smiles. "That means I'm team captain. Scott, B, and I will stay here and fire the snowballs. Lightning, Mike, and Zoey, you guys try to capture the Rats' flag."

"Uh, Jo, not to criticize your thinking or anything, but wouldn't you be better than me at fighting the Rats for their flag?" Zoey asks.

"Yeah, I would," Jo agrees. "But we need at least one strong player here in case the other team comes. Besides, you were the only one who climbed to the top of Mount Looming Tragedy, so I know you're not _useless_."

"Are you coming Zoey?" Mike asks, waiting at the mouth of the fort.

"I guess so." She turns around and joins him and Lightning outside.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Truth is, I don't wanna have to fight anyone," Zoey admits, rubbing her arm. "I'm not much of a fighter..."

* * *

Brick faces his own teammates. "Men- and women- I owe you all an apology. I tried to compete alone with two Maggots when we were climbing the mountain. I left you all behind and in doing so, failed to follow my own code."

"You did leave us at the bottom of Mount Looming Tragedy when it was supposed to be a team race," Sam informs.

"Yes, I know." Brick looks down.

"It's okay, Brick," Dawn says gently. "You already made up for it by carrying Cameron up the mountain."

"Uh, when did this even happen?" Anne Maria asks.

"Let bygones be bygones. I think that Brick should be our leader for this challenge," Cameron declares.

"I agree," Dawn says, raising her hand.

Anne Maria shrugs and raises hers. "Sure, I don't care."

"Well, I know I won't be leading," Sam jokes, making another vote.

"Really?... I've never been 'large and in charge' before," Brick says.

"HURRY UP!" Chris commands. "MY ICE IS MELTING, AND YOUR FORTS WILL TOO IF THE SUN GETS MUCH HIGHER."

Cameron salutes Brick, and the others copy. Brick does a little jolt at this, then slowly grins.

A drum roll plays. "Alright, soldiers," Brick says, his voice imitating a drill sergeant's. "I _will_ be your captain for this challenge. I believe our team is capable of winning, and will today. That is the truth which I speak. So... game on!

"Sam, Anne Maria, and I will go for the other team's fort. Dawn and Cameron, you stay here and launch the snowballs."

"What do we do when the Maggots get here?" Cameron asks.

"We'll come back with their flag before they can bring back ours. Either that, or you two will destroy their fort first. Have confidence, soldier!" Brick turns to Anne Maria and Sam. "Let's attack!"

They head off. Cameron looks at Dawn. "Well, I guess we're partners," he says in a genial tone.

"Indeed," Dawn says. "Do you wanna be the one to launch the snowballs?"

"Sure!" He walks over to the shovel catapult.

Lightning, Zoey, and Mike are jogging on the ice. "Thanks for saving me from falling last challenge," Zoey says to Mike.

"No problem," he replies. "Those ice cubes were huge! Lightning, didn't one of them knock you out?"

Lightning is several yards ahead. "Yeah, but I get hit in the head a lot playing football. No big deal."

Zoey is concentrating on moving her feet carefully. "I was also just wondering. Why did you stay with me?"

"Oh, heheh." Mike shoves a hand into his hair, ruffling it. "Well, I just thought since it was a team race and all, better to climb in pairs so you can save each other from falling, right?"

She taps her head with a fist. "Right. Sorry, that was kinda obvious now that I think about it."

"It's okay." Mike touches her hand. "No need to apologize for being curious."

"Sorry for apologizing." She chuckles, seeing him wrinkle his forehead. "That time was intentional."

"Oh." He grins. "Well, sorry for misinterpreting your 'sorry'."

"No, I'm sorry for saying 'sorry' in the first place when it wasn't needed."

"Then why did you say it again just now?"

"Huh, I guess I'm not sorry actually."

"About saying it now, or saying it in the first place?"

"Both? Now I'm lost," Zoey laughs.

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Zoey says. The two lock eyes with each other a moment before looking forward again.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Actually, I climbed next to Zoey because I kind of have a crush on her," Mike says, a dark blush on his cheeks. "She's a lot of fun to talk to, and I like hearing her laugh. She's also really pretty- you know, just something I noticed. Heh."

* * *

The three Maggots see other people in the distance. One person trips and slides on his belly toward them. "And the Thunder slips past the Lightning!" Sam announces, speeding past the star athlete. "I'm Thunder!"

Sam slows down, the ice cracking underneath him. Suddenly, a hole rips open, pulling him under the water.

"Sam!" Brick shouts, he and Anne Maria running over to the hole. Sam pops up from the water, frozen in an ice cube. Brick hauls him out of the water and sets him on the ice. "Aw, how are we gonna break _this?_" He hits a fist against Sam's prison.

"We'll come back when the challenge is ova," Anne Maria says.

Brick looks at her. "But doing that violates my code!"

She rolls her eyes. "What, is your code set in stone or somethin'? It's not like anything'll happen to him."

"I already broke it once. I won't do it again." He brings a swift kick to the ice cube with his boot. It forms cracks around Sam's body. He kicks it again. Half of the icy shell shatters this time, releasing Sam to the ground.

Sam curls into himself, his skin pale blue. "S-s-s-so c-c-cold." Brick lifts him onto his back and continues with Anne Maria to the Maggots' fort.

A snowball lands inside the Rats' fort near Cameron's feet. He reaches for the top of the snowball supply. "Not that one!" Dawn yelps.

Cameron pulls his hand back. "Why not?"

"It's filled with negative energy." She points at another snowball. "Ooh, this one!" Cameron draws it back on the shovel, sending it flying. Both of them run outside and watch the snowball demolish a turret on the other team's castle. Dawn claps lightly.

Scott and Jo look up and see Cameron's snowball smash into the turret. B has wandered away. "I thought you were supposed to be an expert at this," Jo accuses Scott.

"You try launching at a fort that's a mile away!"

"Okay, I will!" Jo shoves him aside and picks up a snowball. It begins to vibrate in her hand. She throws it at Scott. "On second thought, you can take this one."

It breaks as he catches it, and bees swarm into the air. They give chase to Scott, who sprints out of the fort screaming.

B turns his head toward Scott while coming back inside, lifting a massive circle of ice. "What are you dragging that in for?" Jo asks. He points at her feet, then at his shoulders.

"You did win us the last challenge with your idea..." Jo climbs on his back and puts her feet on his shoulders, then stands up. "What now?"

He passes up the circle to her and points at the top of the front wall. B walks over to it, and Jo places the circle on the wall's edge. She jumps down. The circle lights up, focusing the sun's rays across the rink onto the Rats' fort. B and Jo watch as the Rats' fort begins to diminish by the second.

Jo raises her eyebrows. "Not bad, B."

A snowball crashes into the wall, creating a series of cracks. "Dang it!" Jo yells. She reaches for another snowball and flings it in the air using the catapult.

It hits the Rats' fort. A good chunk of the wall crumbles away. "Uh oh," Cameron says, looking at the new gap in the melting fort.

Dawn looks outside to see Lightning, Mike, and Zoey approaching. "Cameron, fire at the Maggots coming toward us!"

"Which snowball?" Cameron asks, his eyes darting over the pile. He lifts one particularly-huge snowball onto the shovel, grunting with the effort, and launches it straight ahead.

It smashes at Lightning's feet. "Hey- AHH!" He jumps back from the giant mutant beetle in front of him.

"Isn't that the beetle from last challenge?" Zoey says.

"Split up!" Mike shouts. They run in three separate directions. The beetle looks around for a moment, then starts to pursue Mike.

"Nice job," Dawn says, high five-ing Cameron.

"You too! We make a great team." Cameron turns to the entrance. "I wonder how our teammates are doing."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"I felt bad telling Cameron to attack the other team," Dawn says. "But this _is_ a challenge, and we've already lost two of them! This perverse game forces my hand!"

* * *

Scott walks back inside the Maggots' fort, covered in bee stings. "I finally got rid of the bees," he says, glaring at Jo.

"How?" Jo asks with a smirk.

Scott merely crosses his arms. B is at the catapult, firing snowballs at the Rats coming toward them. A snowball hits the ground in front of Anne Maria, releasing a large cloud of smoke. She, Sam, and Brick cough in place, their eyes watering.

"I'll take over from here," Jo says, walking over to the shovel and making B step aside. She grabs a snowball and shoots it at Anne Maria's face.

Anne Maria stumbles backward from the impact. She hears Jo laughing faintly while she wipes the snow off her features, drawing her lips in a tight line. "Anne Maria- are you okay?" Brick asks. "That looked like it hurt."

"Pasty is going down," she whispers.

"Pasty?" Brick watches along with Sam as Anne Maria storms ahead. "Who's that?"

Mike is running fairly fast, but the beetle is faster. It snatches him up, brings its arm back, and hurls him at the Rats' fort.

"A-A-A-AH!" His pulsating scream ends abruptly as he smashes through the wall. He tumbles onto the ground, his shirt torn off in front to reveal his toned abdomen.

Dawn and Cameron look at him, then at each other. Mike gets up on his arms with a groan, which hitches as he turns into Vito. His brown eyes relax and narrow. He grins and stands up, ripping off the rest of his shirt.

He shoves Dawn and Cameron to the ground. "Outta the way, losahs," he says in a cocky low voice. Vito picks up some snow and slicks back his hair with it, then walks over and pulls the Rats' flag out from its mound.

"Mike!" Zoey runs inside along with Lightning. She raises an eyebrow in question at Mike's naked upper body.

"Ey yo! You lookin' for this?" Vito raises the flag.

Cameron stares at Vito with a mixture of annoyance and thought, while Dawn's mouth draws down at the corners. "Alright! You got the flag!" Lightning cheers.

"Let's go!" Zoey says. She tries to take Vito's hand, but he snatches it away and frowns.

"Hold up, redhead! You wanna touch the Vito, you gotta make an _appointment_."

Zoey steps back, hurt flashing across her features. Lightning comes forward. "Hey, stop messing around! We got a challenge to win!"

Vito waves the flag in front of him, grinning. "Oh yeah? Ya gonna have to fight me first."

Lightning growls before tackling Vito to the ground.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"Mike's behavior is pretty off," Cameron says. "I can't really tell if he's a nice person because he's too unpredictable. It's curious."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Mike's future is filled with turmoil," Dawn says, swishing her head side to side. "I wish I could prevent the conflicts with his teammates coming his way. I also want to cure all the poor innocent animals here of their mutated states. I can't bear seeing them suffer by the hands of Chris!"

* * *

Anne Maria, Brick, and Sam step inside the Maggots' fort. "Die Pasty!" Anne Maria yells, running toward Jo with a fist.

Jo dodges her punch, which hits B instead. B stumbles backward and scowls at Anne Maria. Brick comes forward, looking at the three Maggots surrounding the flag. "Sorry guys- and Jo- but we're gonna have to take that flag of yours."

He lunges. Scott and Jo jump on him while B stands aside. Sam and Anne Maria join in, trying to pull Scott and Jo away from their teammate. They succeed in prying off Scott, who is thrown out through the entrance.

"Ow! Geez," he says, rubbing his head. He stands up and sees half of Sam's ice cube still standing several yards away. Slowly, he turns around to B's frozen magnifying glass sitting at the top of the fort. Scott looks ahead at Vito and Lightning wrestling each other for the flag, visible over the Rats' shrinking fort. Dawn is shoveling snow onto the fort in a hurry, and Cameron is kicking snow on top as well.

Scott smiles.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"I have to be a team player until I get my hands on the invincibility statue," Scott says. "But this is a golden opportunity, and I am not about to pass it up."

* * *

Scott picks up some snow and forms a snowball. "Try and talk your way out of _this_ one, Bev!" He throws it at the magnifying glass, which tilts down ever-so-slightly. It directs sunlight on the ice cube, which closely deflects the rays onto the Maggots' castle. The fort dissolves in a heap of slush within seconds.

Anne Maria, Sam, Brick, and Jo rise to their feet, staring around with stunned expressions. Scott breaks the silence. "Nice magnifying glass, Beverly." He jabs a finger at a wide-eyed B. "_That's sabotage_!"

Cameron turns around and sees that the Maggots' fort is gone. He widens his eyes. "Dawn, look! We won!"

Dawn looks ahead and gasps. Lightning leaps off Vito. "Sha-_what_?"

Chris comes over to the Maggots' side with Chef, who's holding a tray with five cups of hot cocoa on it. "And the Rats win!" Chris declares. "Here's your reward: McLean-brand hot chocolate. Scald your senses with chocolate-y goodness."

Sam runs forward and grabs one of the cups. He take a gulp of hot cocoa and sighs, steam coming out of his mouth. "Ahhh. I can feel my insides thawing out after falling through the ice."

Brick pats him on the back. "Good for you, soldier."

Scott feels someone's eyes on his back, and turns around to see B glaring at him. He gives the mute a knowing smirk before beginning to whistle.

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

The males are in their bedroom, wrapped up in their blankets after the freezing cold. While B is in the bathroom, Scott seizes the opportunity to talk to Mike and Lightning. "So I think we should vote off B tonight at the elimination ceremony," he says. "He cost us the challenge with his huge magnifying glass! Not to mention, how can you trust a guy that's so secretive, he doesn't even talk?"

"B made a huge magnifying glass?" Mike asks. Scott and Lightning stare at him.

"You're kidding, right?" Scott says. "By the way, Lightning, I read B's diary- he calls you Fizzle. Just thought you should know."

Lightning's mouth forms a small "o".

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

Lightning looks enraged. "B may have messed with the challenge, but Mike messed with the Lightning! First he deprives the Lightning of quality sleep, then he goes all method actor and withholds team victory? Time for him to say sha-bye bye!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"If anything, our loss today was my fault," Jo says with a grimace. "I must've not positioned B's magnifying glass securely enough. But I can't let my team lose faith in me... It's better _and_ easier to let B take the blame. I'm probably the only one who knows he didn't sabotage our team, but he'll have to pay the price for not establishing connections with anyone here. It's just strategy."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Something about B's sabotage just doesn't add up," Mike says. "Why would he help us in one part of the challenge, then sabotage us in the next?" He grips his head and looks down with a distracted gaze. "It'd probably be much clearer if I actually remembered the whole thing, but nope."

* * *

Scott, Lightning, Mike, B, Zoey, and Jo sit around the campfire for the first time of the season.

"Well, Maggots, this is your first elimination ceremony of the season!" Chris says.

"We know already," Jo huffs. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Yeah!" Lightning says, scowling.

Chris grins. "Ooh, a bunch of sore losers, aren't we? After a jam-packed day of _losing_, it all comes down to this. When I call your name, come and get your marshmallow. The following Maggots are safe."

"Jo."

"Lightning."

"Scott."

"Zoey." The four called get up and make a beeline for the marshmallow tray.

"AAAAH!" The voice comes from the sky. Dakota is on a hang glider and diving straight for the campfire ground. Everyone dashes out of the way as she crashes in front of the seat stumps.

"Ughhh," Chris groans, "I hate it when losers get all clingy. Dakota, you're no longer competing. Remember?"

Dakota gets up from under the hang glider, discarding it. "I don't care about the money- like I need it. I just want- um, close up please!" The camera zooms in on her face. "I just want camera time! People need to see more of my sparkly adorableness if I'm gonna get my spin-off reality series."

Her eyes suddenly enlarge as she clenches her teeth. The camera switches back to regular view, showing her clamped in a long metal arm that Chef is holding. "Remember how you flew into the sky last episode? That means you're done!" Chris says. "For-ever."

"No, please," she cries, "I'll do anything!"

Chris's cellphone rings. "Hold on." Chris picks up. "Hello?..." He turns to Dakota. "It's your daddy."

Dakota's face lights up. "Hello Mr. Milton," Chris says. "... HOW much money?" To Dakota he says, "You're back!..."

"Yes! Thanks Daddy," Dakota says with a smile.

"...as an intern!"

"An _intern_?" Dakota struggles to get out of the clamp, but Chef carries her away. "Nooooo!"

Chris continues with the elimination ceremony, everyone sitting back on their stumps. "And the toxic marshmallow of loserdom goes to..." Mike and B look anxiously at the final white marshmallow on the tray, both sweating.

"_B_."

"Phew!" Mike says, retrieving his marshmallow. The toxic marshmallow is thrown at B and lands on the ground. It quickly sinks into the dirt. B narrows his eyes at Scott, who smiles in return.

"Time for the Hurt of Shame, buddy," Chris says. B sighs and stands up, looking dejected.

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

B sits uncomfortably in the catapult. "Any final words, Beverly?" Chris asks. "Any words at all."

B looks at Scott standing among the other Maggots. They all gasp as B trembles, struggling to find his voice. He opens his mouth.

_Wham! _He is thrown through the sky. "AAAAAH!" he screams. The Maggots watch his disappearing figure as Scott looks smug.

Chris turns to the camera. "Come back for more mutants, mayhem, and manipulation, next time on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"


	7. Finders Creepers (Part 1)

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Wow, five reviews after my last chapter! That is a MAJOR increase on the usual amount I get each update. I look back at the reviews on this story constantly, so it's awesome that I have this many more to heed the words of. :-)

My apologies on the lateness of this chapter- hopefully the length makes up for it. I've been doing a lot of research on character development, and I think I have a better grasp on the characters now. I was going to make this a full episode chapter, but even the first half was taking a while and I was impatient to get another chapter out by today. I'm afraid that due to school starting for me, I may not have much time to update. But, I'll do my best.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Cameron, Sam, Dawn

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Zoey, Lightning

ELIMINATED: Staci, Dakota, B

**RECAP**

It is nighttime, and the crickets are chirping actively. Chris stands on the dock, holding a lit candle in one hand. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: Eleven bumbling buffoons battled it out in a brutal buffet of bombastica! Why all the 'b' words? _Because_, B proved he was a brave and brilliant improviser who scored big-time for his team- until his bitter teammate Scott botched it on purpose, and B got the boot.

"And now, tonight's challenge is about _fear_. And everyone knows fear is a dish best served-" A maniacal grin spreads across his face- "in the DARKKKK. MWAHAHAHA- huh?" He turns around to see Chef wearing a peacock-themed bikini, complete with a bush of tail feathers. "Chefff-fuh!"

"Wardrobe is all out of vampire costumes," Chef grumbles.

"It's all scary-" Chris glares at Chef in his costume- "other than _that_. Right here, right now, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

The males have switched bunks. Scott's stuff is now where Mike used to be, under Lightning, and Mike has taken B's former bunk on the other side of the room. Lightning looks content while he sleeps.

Scott sneaks back into their room, unable to repress the smile showing on his features. He walks over to clean jeans and a tank top folded at the end of his bed and changes into them. After that, he lays out the old muddied clothes he was wearing before.

From the camera, we view only his back as he bends over his bunk bed. Soon he turns around with a tied bag made of his dirty laundry and tiptoes to the worn-out suitcase next to his bed. Slowly he pulls open the zipper, then pushes things around inside to make room.

"ACK!" he screams, jerking his hand back. A closed mouse trap digs into his skin. Scott growls and pulls it off, tossing it aside.

Lightning and Mike stir. Scott watches them for a moment until they resume snoring. He shoves the laundry bag in his open suitcase and scurries back into bed, discreetly pulling the blanket over him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

Scott crosses his arms. "What sort of sick swine would sneak a mouse trap in my suitcase? It can only mean one thing: someone's onto me." He hits a fist on his palm. "I have to get rid of them before they can expose me to the others."

* * *

Dakota wears her red intern shirt as a crop top, the ends tied around her waist. She blows an air horn in front of the cabins, with Chris wearing noise-canceling headphones next to her. "RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Chris shouts.

Scott groans and gets right back up, heading for the door. Lightning's eyes pop open. "I'm up, Coach! Lightning's up!" He jumps off his bunk and runs into Scott, sending them flying out the door and onto the porch.

Lightning gets on his feet, rubbing his head. "Sorry, Scott. Didn't see you there."

"Fine," Scott mutters. As he stands, Mike runs out the door.

"What's happening?" he yells. Everyone is pouring out of the cabins on a tide of noise and panic. They all come to the center where Dakota and Chris stand.

Dakota ceases the air horn. Chris takes off his headphones and grins. "Thanks intern!"

"HUH?" Dakota yells.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAKOTA

Dakota hits her ears with her palms. She sighs loudly, hearing nothing. "SO AFTER CHRIS AGREED TO LET ME STAY, HE PUT A RESTRAINING ORDER ON THE PAPARAZZI! SO NOW I'M STUCK HERE FOR NO REASON! AND NOW HE'S MAKING ME, LIKE, _WORK_!" She folds her arms around her waist. "SO NOT COOL."

* * *

Anne Maria bursts into hysterical laughter, drawing everyone's eyes to her. She takes several seconds to recover. "Ha!" she says at last, "Blondie's an_ intern_!"

Sam's face lights up. "Dakota, you're back!"

Dakota pulls her ear wider, squinting to hear. "WHAT? SPEAK UP!"

Chef comes into view, pushing a map board next to Dakota. "Challenge time!" Chris declares.

"What, now?" Brick says.

"Can't Lightning get a good night's sleep for once?" Lightning snaps.

"Why in the middle of the night?" Mike says.

Chris grins. "It provides more of an atmosphere, y'know? Your challenge: A scavenger hunt for three creepy souvenirs. Your locations: a haunted forest, a scary pet cemetery, and an extra spook-tastic cave. First team to each location gets a special clue. But watch out for booby traps- I really went to town with 'em. Heheheh. So, move fast! And _stick together_. You'll be penalized for each member you lose."

Cameron looks uneasy as he points at a symbol on the map. "Um, what does the spider represent?"

"Oh, yeah. There's some sort of gigantic mutated spider running loose on the island."

Exclamations of fear rise up from the campers. Cameron's eyes grow large, his teeth clenched. "WHAT'S ON THE LOOSE?" Dakota yells.

Sam gets close to her ear and shouts, "A GIGANTIC MUTATED SPIDER!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

Cameron is holding his head. "I have a severe case of arachnophobia. Spiders are just so creepy, literally! Anything with that many legs must be evil. Eugh!" A spider drops on a web next to his head. He leaps away, an arm in front of his face. "GAH!"

* * *

"There's nothing to fear but mortal terror itself! By the way, someone has found the invincibility statue," Chris says.

The campers gasp. "Who?" Zoey asks.

"Telling you would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? Now, get running!" Chris takes the air horn from Dakota and blows it. The campers run off. "Get to work, lackey," Chris says to Dakota.

"WHAT?" she says.

* * *

The Maggots are the first to arrive at a loudspeaker tied to a looming tree in the forest. "Whoo hoo, first! That's right-t-t," Lightning sings.

Feedback sounds through the loudspeaker, and Chris's voice comes out. "Welcome to the haunted forest! Your clue can be found at the base of this tree."

There is a pit in front of the tree. Lightning kneels down and reaches into it, grasping empty air. "How deep is this hole?"

"Outta the way, Protein Puff." Jo shoves him aside and thrusts an arm into the hole. She grunts as she swipes at a piece of paper at the bottom, just missing.

"The person with the longest arms should do it," Scott says. "Obviously."

"Since I'm the tallest, I might be able to reach the clue," Mike says. He joins Jo at the hole and reaches down for the note. He quickly grabs it and stands up.

Jo gets up with a frown, which dissolves in a second. "Say, what's on your back there?" she asks Mike.

"Huh?" Mike feels his back and takes off a piece of paper with frayed edging on one side. His eyes fall to the bottom of the paper and widen a second later. "It's a message from B."

"Can I see that?" Scott yanks the note out of Mike's hands. He scans over the paper. "Hmm. Seems like he's pretty bitter about us voting him out."

Zoey leans forward. "Can I see? I mean, if that's okay with you."

Scott forms a pinched expression, bringing the note up to cover his nose. "Ah- ah- ACHOO! Ugh." He wipes up the leftover snot around his nostrils with the now-slimy note. Zoey looks dismayed and disgusted as Scott holds it out to her. "My bad, I needed to do that. At least it's still readable."

She steps back from the paper. "I'm okay, actually."

"If you say so." Scott throws the note into the shadows.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"It's surprising that B wrote a letter to us, even if he didn't say the words out loud," Mike says. "He might've written something that's important, but then _Scott_ had to go and snatch the letter from me and blow his nose in it!" He shakes his head with a sigh. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something about him?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"It was B who put that trap in my suitcase! And he tried to tell everyone that I framed him too!" Scott says. "I _knew_ I was right to kick him off the island." His scowl changes to a smile, and he taps his head. "At least my quick thinking came into gear before it was too late."

* * *

"Let me read the clue," Jo says, taking the paper out of Mike's other hand. Just then, the Toxic Rats come into the clearing. Jo huffs. "Great! Now we just lost our lead."

"Hey, it was for a letter from our former teammate," Mike says. "Didn't you wanna know what B had to say?"

"Why would I care about reading Beverly's little rant?" She looks at the Rats. "Let's scram."

The Maggots run onto the path ahead and disappear into darkness. "Should we follow them?" Sam asks.

"We need to if we wanna hear the clue," Cameron says. With that decided, the Rats begin to follow the other team quietly.

Jo slows to a stop after a minute, the others falling in behind her. The Rats conceal themselves behind the thick trees. She turns around to her team and clears her throat before reading the clue out loud. "'Inside a knot is a nest. Your souvenir lives with a pest. Find Polaris to travel northwest.'" She squints at the paper. "Who wrote this, William Shakespeare?"

"I think Polaris is the North Star," Zoey says.

"Is that it?" Lightning says, pointing up at the sky. One star seems bigger and much brighter than the others.

Mike grins, looking up with the rest of the group. "It must be! Great job, Zoey."

"Thanks," Zoey says, her head turned away from him.

"Alright now, Maggots. Since Polaris is to the right of us, it seems we're heading in the right direction. Keep an eye out for a knot or a pest," Jo says.

"Who made you the boss?" Lightning says.

"Me. Because I won the thumb wrestle, remember?"

"That was for the last challenge. Why don't you give someone else a turn, like the Lightning?"

"Fine," Jo says, making his eyebrows shoot up. "You try leading our team tonight. Our fate is in _your_ hands."

Lightning raises his fist. "Sha-score! Lightning's finally team captain!" He points ahead on the path. "Okay everyone, onward!" He sets off at a sprint, and the Maggots follow behind him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Once everyone sees how pathetic of a leader Lightning is, even he will accept my leadership for good," Jo says. "You gotta admit, I'm a genius."

* * *

Brick steps out from behind a tree. "Alright soldiers, we're gonna have to hustle if we want to catch up to the Maggots."

The others walk into view. "I'm tired enough already," Anne Maria complains. "I ain't running any faster than before."

"Me- neither," Sam pants.

"The problem is, the Maggots are more physically fit than all of us but Brick," Cameron says. "But as long as we stick together, we can avoid that penalty Chris will give us for every lost member. We might have an advantage over the Maggots in the next part of the challenge if we finish with more members than them. I propose that everyone link their arms together so that none of us gets lost, and if anyone falls into a pit or gets grabbed by the-" he gulps- "mutant spider, we can try to pull them to safety."

The Rats stare at him. "That, is a brilliant idea Cameron!" Dawn says. Cameron smiles at her.

"Where'd you come up with all this?" Brick asks.

"I was just thinking over what Chris said," Cameron says. "Brick should be in the middle of the chain so he can support both sides, since he's the strongest. Come on, let's try this." He links arms with Dawn, who links with Brick, who links with Anne Maria, who links with Sam. Everyone is connected with two other people besides Cameron and Sam, who are on opposite ends.

"What if you're wrong about there being another part of the challenge, and we lose?" Anne Maria says.

"Well, since we're all tired right now, I can safely say this is our best bet," Cameron says. The others nod in agreement, and everyone begins running in a horizontal line down the path.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I don't know what came over me," Cameron says. "Oh wait, I do, actually. Inspiration!"

* * *

The Maggots are far ahead of the Rats. Mike and Zoey run at an arm's length apart from each other. She ignores him, staring straight ahead. "You okay?" Mike asks.

"Why- do you ask?" Zoey says in between breaths.

"You just seemed a little distant, that's all."

She smiles at him. "I'm fine! No need- to worry."

Mike runs a hand through his hair. "Right. Well, um, you can always trust me with anything. I know we've only known each other for like, almost four days, but I've enjoyed getting to know you."

"Thanks! Same to you." Zoey looks back forward.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I'm a little confused," Zoey confesses. "So yesterday, Mike and I talked a lot with each other. We were on really good terms, you know? But then, later on, he acted as though I was a total stranger, then he sabotaged our team and even fought with Lightning!" Her eyes narrow. "He was acting like a jerk, basically. It makes me feel that maybe he's not the person I thought he was. He seems like a great guy, except for yesterday during the challenge." She lets out an exasperated sigh. "I just don't want to be associated with anyone like the jerks at my school."

* * *

Jo points ahead at a tree hole with both teams' colors streaked in paint below it. "That's the knot over there!"

"Whoo hoo!" Lightning races over to the tree and climbs it quickly. His team watches as he blindly searches the inside of the knot, rustling its contents.

He yanks his arm back with a yelp. A giant eye with a dilated red iris has shown itself through the hole. Tentacles the size of the forest trees break out through the trunk. The teens scream all at once, and one tentacle wraps around Lightning's throat and lifts him up. Jo smiles to herself.

"Throw rocks at it!" Scott yells. He picks up some of the scattered rocks on the ground and throws them at the tentacle choking Lightning. Jo, Mike, and Zoey do the same, and the tentacle drops Lightning face-down on the forest floor. The provoked mutant grabs up the stone-throwers and dangles them in the air by their feet.

"Now what do we do?" Mike yells.

"Thanks for nothing, Carrot Top!" Jo says.

"HELPPP!" Zoey screams.

Lightning lifts his head up lying down. "No calamari does_ that_ to the Lightning!" He jumps to his feet and climbs the tree up to the knot once more. "Sha-BAM!" His fist slams into the eye.

The mutant's eye shrinks back, its tentacles releasing his teammates and withdrawing into the tree. Lightning digs around inside the hole, and raises a golden key in the air. "Aw yeah! The key!"

He jumps down to the ground where Mike, Scott, and Jo are standing while rubbing their heads. Mike looks around, dazed. "Ouch... Wait a minute. Where's Zoey?"

Lightning, Scott, and Jo scan the trees. "Oh well," Jo says. She lifts two fingers, one after the other. "Two words: dead, weight."

Scott shrugs, but Mike and Lightning stare at Jo. Mike's expression twists. "What are you even talking about? Zoey is a_ person_, not to mention our own teammate!" He turns and calls loudly into the forest. "ZOEY! WHERE ARE YOU?

"It's called a _winning_ attitude. Look it up," Jo says.

"I know what a winning attitude is, and that ain't it," Lightning says with a frown.

Jo turns on him. "Well, get over it, or get out of the way. I'm taking charge now."

"Oh no you don't! Lightning is the leader for this challenge."

"Uh, hello? You got us hanging by our feet from a mutant octopus!"

"How is that my fault?"

"You alerted the creature to us!"

"It lives inside the _tree!_ It would've woken up from anybody!"

Jo's mouth is set in a grimace, not saying a word. Lightning gives her a hard glare. "How about you walk around by yourself with your 'winning' attitude?"

"I think I will." She turns on her heel and walks off into the trees. Soon, the darkness swallows her up, and her silhouette disappears.

Mike climbs onto a branch high up the marked tree. He stands and cups a hand around his mouth. "ZOEY! TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

Lightning throws his arms in the air. "Jo doesn't even make any sense! He's constantly trying to be the leader over everyone, yet he doesn't care about anyone at all. It's like he thinks we're all his little pawns or something. And then there's Mike, who does all these random impressions and tried to make our team lose yesterday. All I can say is: me, Scott, and Zoey are the only normal people on our team."

* * *

The Rats run to where the Maggots are standing, their arms still linked. "Hey, where'd the rest of your team go?" Anne Maria asks Scott and Lightning.

Lightning opens his mouth, but Scott clamps his hand over it. "We were just going to meet up with them," Scott says. He yells up the tree, "Mike, we're going with or without you!"

Mike climbs down the tree. "Fine, I'll come. But we have to keep an eye out for Zoey."

Scott laughs. "She's with the rest of the team, remember? Now c'mon." He runs away with a confused Mike and Lightning on his tail.

Cameron watches them go with suspicion in his eyes. The rest of the group looks at the marked tree. "There are the team colors!" Dawn says, pointing at the red and green paint streaks.

"It must be the knot with the nest!" Sam says.

"Leave this to me, teammates," Brick says. He unlocks arms with Dawn and Anne Maria.

"Wait, Brick!" Dawn's voice is urgent, and he turns around. "I sense danger is near."

"A proper soldier never cowers in the face of danger." Brick marches up to the tree and scales it up to the knot, then rummages around inside. He takes out a key and shows it his teammates. "I believe this is it!"

The Rats cheer. Then, they gasp as a spider web from above shoots onto Brick's head and pulls him out of sight. The key drops onto the grass.

Dawn shakes her head at the ground. "We get a penalty for each lost player," Sam says, his voice shaking.

Cameron looks thoughtful. "We still have more than the Maggots."

"And how do ya know that?" Anne Maria demands.

"Mike basically said that Zoey disappeared, which means that he, Scott, and Lightning are only meeting up with Jo- if they're meeting up with anyone at all. It's possible Jo might've been captured too."

"But Scott said Zoey was with the rest of their team!" Sam says.

"I'm certain he was lying about that, based on Mike's and Lightning's reactions. If Jo wasn't taken and was waiting for the rest of the Maggots alone, she'd be a goner by now based on quickly Brick was caught the minute he went by himself."

"Well, I guess that means we should stick together at all times," Sam says.

"Yup," Cameron says. The four Rats close the gap where Brick once stood between them, and begin moving. Cameron picks up the abandoned key as they pass by it.

Lightning, Scott, and Mike run down the path toward a distant graveyard. "What were we lying to the Rats for?" Lightning asks Scott.

"We don't want them to know about our lost teammates, do we? Otherwise, they might think they have a chance at winning and work harder to beat us."

Lightning nods. "At least you're working for our team. I swear, some of our teammates are working against it."

Scott looks at him with an eyebrow raised. "Like who?"

Lightning speaks quietly. "Jo may think he's helping out the team, but he's no team player. And Mike tried to keep the flag away from me and Zoey yesterday so we'd lose."

"You mean, _two_ people were sabotaging our win during the challenge?"

"Yeah! Crazy, right?"

"Wow. I must say, our team is full of traitors."

"Which is why we have to vote off Mike next if we lose," Lightning whispers.

The two look at Mike, who has been giving them curious glances. Scott gives a small nod. "I gotcha."

"Uh, what are you guys talking about?" Mike inquires.

Lightning has a hostile look in his eyes. "Oh, we were just discussing what we might find at the next stop," Scott replies.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Since yesterday evening, I've had this feeling that Lightning doesn't like me," Mike says. "I keep seeing him glaring at me. And then Zoey wouldn't even meet my eyes when we talked..." He rubs the back of his head. "And now she and Jo are gone out of nowhere. What if something happened to her? Er, I mean 'them'. Yeah... it's just nerve-wracking."

* * *

Jo trudges through the forest, paying no attention to the softly hooting owls, the crickets chirping, or the scuttling noise in the treetops above. Her face is expressionless, and she blends in as a shadow among shadows.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I hate this challenge," Jo snaps. "I mean, a scavenger hunt? Really? I don't even get to work by myself on this one. All my teammates were just weighing me down, so I had to take off. Sometimes, if you want to win a game, you have to do it by yourself."

* * *

The sound of small steps gets closer, and the branches on the tree behind Jo bend under the large creature's weight. A thick string of webs streams toward her and hits her in the back, knocking her down.

"Whoa! What the-" More webs wrap around her eyes like a blindfold, then around her body. She struggles to get her arms out from her sides. "Hey! How dare you!"

She feels herself leave the ground. "Where are you taking me?" she shouts. "HELP! TEAM MAGGOT! ANYONE!"

For a long stretch of time, Jo feels the air moving around her as her captor moves from tree to tree. Finally, she is thrust onto a colossal web on the wall of a dimly-lit cave.

Brick and Zoey, also mummified but with their eyes intact, look up at the new victim stuck near the top of the web. "Jo? Is that you?" Brick says.

Jo turns her head toward his voice. "Wha- Sir Leaks-a-Lot?"

Brick's eyes widen. "Hey! Don't call me that!"

Jo smirks. "So it is you."

"Hi, Jo," Zoey says timidly.

"Red! So this is where you went. Do you know where we are?"

"We're in this, um, huge spider web in a cave."

"Excuse me? I got kidnapped by a _spider_?"

"We all did," Brick says. "It must be the giant mutant spider Chris warned us about, and this cave must be the last location of the challenge."

"Terrific. The final location is the spider's lair," Jo says. "How are we gonna get out?"

"We can't. We'll have to wait until our teammates get here," Brick says. A quiet pause. "Jo? Did you hear me?"

"I heard you."

"Let's hope our team gets here first," Zoey tells her.

"Whatever."

Zoey casts a glance at Brick, who shrugs his webbed shoulders ever-so-slightly. "She's _your_ teammate."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey lifts an arm by her side, palm facing up. "I don't know what to make of Jo's answer," she says, and drops her arm. "It's like she doesn't even _want_ to be rescued."

* * *

The three remaining Maggots pass through the graveyard entrance, which is two lampposts with a plank nailed-in between them. "Welcome to the Wawanakwa pet cemetery!" Chris's voice says through a loudspeaker pole. "In front of you is a wooden coffin, where you will find your second clue."

Lightning comes forward and flips open the coffin lying in the grass. He takes out a tattered piece of paper inside and shows it to Scott and Mike. On it, there are three rows of five random numbers: a red 6 is in every row and also a red 18 in the last row.

The teens wear identical blank expressions. "I guess we look for three 6's and an 18?" Mike says.

"I guess so," Scott says.

"Let's spread out and look," Lightning says. They walk off in three directions: Scott to the left, Mike to the right, and Lightning straight down the middle.

The remaining Rats are still running on the path before the cemetery. "I can't even see the Maggots!" Anne Maria says.

"They're probably in the pet cemetery now," Sam says, huffing and puffing.

"We just lost a lot of strength in our chain without Brick," Cameron tells Dawn. "If the same spider that got Brick tries to grab one of us, we might not be able to hold on."

"Well, we stand a better chance sticking together than staying separate," she says. Cameron nods, still looking worried.

The camera view shifts to Chris in a surveillance room sipping a soft drink. He turns on his swivel chair and faces the camera, with a line of screens behind him showing Cameron's face, Lightning stooping to examine a gravestone, and Mike scanning the trees in the distance for Zoey. "With the Rat's strongest player absent and two members already gone on the Maggots' side, will anyone even make it to the spooky cave? And if so, how can they possibly make it all the way to the finish line? Less gain, more pain, when we return!"

* * *

NOTE: This chapter was fun yet complicated to write. I found a lot of potential for interactions in the challenge, especially with the Maggots. Hope you guys liked this update!


	8. Finders Creepers (Part 2)

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Alright! I've decided that this space at the top will be the location any for shoutouts I make, and replies to guest reviewers.

WishStar: Sorry for the really late reply! Thank you kindly for your reviews. I don't want to spoil who Brick will be paired up with, but he and Jo are going to have many interactions whether as foes, friends, or lovers. I've actually been thinking up a romance plot for him in a possible TDAS remake, which I really want to write. The flash idea is a good one! I might try to fit it in somewhere.

I apologize to those who would prefer these chapters to be full episodes. School takes a lot of my time for writing, and I can only complete one half of an episode within around 1-2 weeks (with the exception of this one). Cutting the episodes in half is the only way I can get chapters up somewhat quickly, and I dislike making readers wait. Being an avid fanfiction reader myself, I know how that feels. What would be terrific is if I could make the final chapter a full episode to mark it as the finale. Here's hoping!

Also, I've been reading up on how to write better so I can have more confidence in my writing. It made this chapter come up days later than it would have, but the time spent on research will benefit these chapters in the long run. :-)

P.S. Feel free to check my progress for each update on my profile.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Cameron, Sam, Dawn

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Zoey, Lightning

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B

From the camera, Scott's back is shown as he stands in front of an upright coffin. It leans on a dog grave statue and has a key hole spotted with rust.

Scott pinches his chin. "Find the souvenir, hide the souvenir, lose the game...hmm. How will I get the key?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"So I happened to come across where the next souvenir is, and came up with a clever plan to eliminate another member on my team," Scott says. "But then I realized, Lightning still had the key! And of course I couldn't just _ask_ for it. So what'd I do about my dilemma? Well, I-"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHRIS

"Just so you viewers know, the cut-off was not an error on behalf of our crew," Chris says. "I made my own brilliant edit to leave you all hanging."

* * *

Scott walks over to Lightning, who is squinting at the small lettering on a gravestone with a bird engraved in front. He eyes the golden key poking out of Lightning's pocket. "Find anything yet?"

Lightning jumps. "Woah! I didn't hear you coming. But no, Lightning's found nothing since we started."

"That's a shame." Scott slings an arm around Lightning's shoulder. "Look, I wanted to talk you about Mike. I'm all for voting him off, but two of us won't get the job done. We need one of the girls on our side, and Zoey seems too friendly with Mike, so I say we ask Jo."

The jock stiffens. "Nuh uh. No sha-way is Lightning getting involved with _him_."

Scott stares at him. "I said Jo, not Mike."

"I know. He's the rudest, most unreasonable guy I ever met!"

Scott flicks his eyes toward the night sky. "Well in that case, we can recruit Zoey and vote Jo off. Too bad that won't get rid of Mike, like you want."

Lightning frowns and turns back to the gravestone. Scott gives a pat on his back with one hand, and steals the key quick as a flash with the other. He stuffs it into his pocket. "Don't worry, I'll do all the talking."

As Scott walks away, Cameron, Dawn, Anne Maria, and Sam arrive at the pet cemetery. They unlock arms and look at the empty coffin lying in front of them. "That must've been where the next clue was," Anne Maria says.

"How will we know what to look for now?" Sam says.

The team looks around, eyes wandering around the graveyard and back to the coffin. "How about we split up and keep an eye on the Maggots in case they find the next souvenir?" Dawn says.

"I guess we have no choice," Cameron says. "But there's four of us and three of them. Two of us should pair up."

Anne Maria scoffs. "And how're we gonna decide that? No one wants to be alone with a giant spider on the loose."

"Why don't we do rock paper scissors?" Sam says. He and Anne Maria face each other, as do Cameron and Dawn.

"Rock paper scissors says shoot!" Sam and Anne Maria reveal their hands. Sam has rock and Anne Maria has paper.

Anne Maria lifts one eyebrow. "Huh. I wouldn't really have minded goin' alone, but whateva."

"Rock paper scissors says shoot!" Cameron shows paper while Dawn shows scissors.

"You should be part of the pair," Dawn says. "I could tell what you were going to choose."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine by myself."

Dawn shakes her head. "No, you aren't." Cameron's mouth shifts, his eyes blinking twice. "I mean, you'll be captured next if you go alone."

His expression clears. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. You can see into the future. But wouldn't that mean _you_ would be captured if I took your spot?"

She winces. "I should've known you would think of that. If only I were a mind reader..."

"Are you two done?" Anne Maria asks, she and Sam turning around. "I won against Sam."

"Yup, Dawn won," Cameron says. Dawn opens her mouth. "Wait just a moment, Dawn. I owe you a favor for when you told Brick to carry me up Mount Looming Tragedy instead of you. This is how I can repay you."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I actually owe Dawn numerous favors," Cameron says. "She gave me a pep talk when I was feeling down and reminded me of my strengths, she saved me from picking up a potentially harmful snowball last challenge, and she keeps me company on this island. Sam, Brick, and Anne Maria are nice, but let's face it- I'm not very good at socializing on a casual level." He shrugs. "I've consulted textbooks and everything, but living in a bubble for most of your life doesn't let you practice much."

* * *

Scott is back at the coffin, twirling the key in his hand. A smirk spreads across his face as he inserts the key into the key hole.

_Click. _The door creaks open to reveal the bared grin of Fang.

"GAH!" Scott slams the door shut and sprints away from the coffin. The shark reopens it and chases after him. The two weave in and out of the gravestones, Scott screaming at a continuous rate.

Dakota and Owen watch this occur, holding a jumbo-sized bucket of grease between them. "Well, that's one part of the show I don't miss," Dakota says.

"Do you mean the guy who's running from the giant mutated shark, or the giant mutated shark?" Owen asks.

"Both! That guy wasn't even on my team." Dakota and Owen walk over to a large square pit and dump the grease into it. "In fact, I don't miss any of the contestants. The only one who was even remotely nice to me was Sam. Everyone else didn't make me feel welcome at all!" She looks up to see Owen stuff a greasy finger into his mouth, and she wrinkles her nose. "Eww."

Owen stops slurping and takes out his finger. "What? It's good grease. Try some!"

"No way! Grease is disgusting. This _job_ is disgusting."

Sam approaches Dakota and Owen by the pit. "Hi Dakota and, uh-"

"I'm Owen," Owen says. "Man, you're so lucky you get to be on the show this season! I'd do anything to compete again with Izzy and my buddy Noah. We made some good times here, y'know?"

"I actually never watched Total Drama," Sam says. "Just heard about it and thought it'd be fun. It's been pretty grueling so far, though." Just then, Scott's screaming gets close. He and Fang knock into Sam, who tumbles into the pit.

Dakota gasps. She and Owen look into the pit and hear Sam hit the bottom with a distant "Oof!".

"I'm okay!" Sam shouts. "Just landed in some grease. Hey, there's some giant maggots here!" Slurping sounds rise from several maggots. "Heheh, that tickles!"

**CHOMP!** "OW! Hey, that doesn't!" Chomping fills the air. "AHHHHH!"

Dakota puts a hand to her stomach. "Why does my gut feel so- squirmy? I feel like- _apologizing_?" She drops her hand to her side. "If this is what it feels like to feel bad for someone else, I don't like it! I'm out!" She walks away.

Owen points down the pit. "Uh, what about saving him? I don't know his name!"

Mike is kneeling at a gravestone with a skeleton face design. He eyes the keyhole for the face's nose, then brushes his finger over the date. "June sixth, eighteen-oh-six." He grins and leaps to his feet. "Lightning! Scott! I found it!"

Anne Maria and Dawn are hiding behind a wide gravestone nearby. "Let's go tell the others," Dawn whispers. They walk bent-over behind the gravestones, their steps inaudible.

Lightning races to where Mike is standing. He stumbles to a halt. "You found the location of the souvenir?"

"I'm pretty sure, yup."

Lightning is digging in his left pocket. His eyes widen a little, and he shoves his hand in his other pocket. It comes up empty, and he stares at his palm. "I swear I had the key!"

"Maybe Scott has it," Mike says.

"No, I_ know_ I had it in my pocket. I remember putting it there!"

"Then maybe it dropped out?" Mike turns his head from side to side. "Let's get Scott and look around for it."

Owen paces near the edge of the grease pit, talking to himself. "Oh, what do I do? I can't just leave him here! That would be unethical!" Anne Maria and Dawn pop up from the gravestone in front of him. Owen jumps. "Great slices of ham!"

Dawn shields her eyes and looks around. "Hey, aren't ya one of the old contestants from Total Drama?" Anne Maria says.

"I'm Owen," Owen says. "Huh! I think I've said that twice in one hour. Say, could you help me pull this guy out of the pit?"

"We're doin' a challenge right now, so no thanks," Anne Maria replies. "Unless it's Sam or Cameron."

He shrugs. "I don't know what those two look like, sooo you can check and see, I guess." Anne Maria and Dawn look down into the pit.

Dawn gasps. "Sam!" Sam is sprawled at the bottom with his eyes closed, teeth marks all over him. The maggots stare up at her with beady red eyes.

"Oh, so that's his name!" Owen says.

"Owen, you lower me down and I'll lift him up," Dawn says.

"Hold on there, doll. Those skinny arms ain't gonna cut it," Anne Maria says. "_I'll_ do it."

"Oh, well, thank you." Dawn examines her arms, which are covered in her green sweater.

Owen holds Anne Maria's feet as she crawls into the pit. Soon, she dangles as he lowers her slowly toward Sam. She reaches for Sam's arm and grabs it with both hands. "Lift me up!" she shouts.

Dawn grabs onto Anne Maria's feet with Owen as they pull her out. They drag her onto the ground with Sam and let go, falling onto their butts.

"Phew!" Owen wipes his forehead. Dawn slouches over, mouth dropping to reveal her tongue.

Anne Maria gets up and dusts herself down. She looks at Sam, who is still out cold. "We betta not have to _carry_ him. He weighs a ton!"

Dawn walks over to crouch in front of Sam. "Oh, dear," she says in a rush of air. "He's lost a lot of blood. He needs medical treatment." She turns to Owen. "Owen, can you bring him to the infirmary? I trust that you know best out of all of us."

"Yeah, sure!" He lifts up Sam and hoists him onto his back.

"Thank you for doing this for us," Dawn says. "Now, we must find Cameron. Quickly!" She and Anne Maria dash off.

Scott is running at a slow pace, lurching with each step. His face droops with his mouth open while panting. He twists his head toward Fang, who has resorted to a jog and is gaining ground on him.

A pit approaches in front of Scott. He puts on a burst of speed and, reaching the edge, throws himself across it. Fang looks straight ahead and ignores the hole until his feet leave the ground. With its eyes widened, the shark monster disappears into the depths. His growling wail diminishes to a murmur, then a thump arises.

Scott is on the ground in a heap. He blinks and stands up, staring down the hole. His face stretches into a giant grin. "HA! Take that, you freak of nature!" A thick net made of webs collapses on him from the sky. "Woah- oof!" He lands on his face. The net is whisked into the air, muffled yells coming from inside it.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"I hate this challenge," Scott says, crossing his arms over his chest. "Seriously, the minute I finally get that stupid shark off my tail, I get kidnapped by a spider!"

* * *

Mike and Lightning pass by where Scott just was a moment ago. "Where on Earth did he go?" Lightning says.

"He must've gotten captured by the spider," Mike replies with a shiver.

Lightning gives a vigorous shake of his head. "No way. We can't already have lost _three_ members before the third clue."

"That's the case, unfortunately." Mike presses his palm against his forehead. "God, I wish I knew where our teammates went. They just disappeared out of nowhere!"

Lightning puts on a scowl. "Yeah, and now Lightning's stuck with just you." His expression dissipates as they walk past a standing coffin with its lid open towards them. He freezes in place and takes several steps backward to stand in front of the lid. "Hey, wait! It's the key!"

Mike walks over, stopping several yards from Lightning. He leans forward and peers at the key. "Huh. So that's where it went."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"There's a big gap in my memory from yesterday's challenge," Mike says. "I don't even remember walking back to the cabin! And I _know_ something happened that's making Zoey distant towards me and Lightning, well, very much dislike me." His shoulders fall. "I can't even be comfortable around my own teammates. Well, actually, I'm always on guard with my disorder and people finding out. Still, I'm absolutely positive that one of my personalities took over. I've been trying to talk to them, but none of them will tell me anything..."

* * *

Dawn and Anne Maria hurry past the edge of the graveyard next to the trees. "I think Cameron got captured. We haven't seen him this whole time," Anne Maria says.

Dawn covers her face with her hands. "I knew this would happen, and I let it happen anyway." Her voice comes out as a tremor. "Fate has run its course. I was so _foolish_ to think I could prevent it before it was too late."

"That seeing-into-the-future thing is weird. I'm more a present type of gal," Anne Maria says. "Why do ya care so much anyway? It's just a game."

"I just- I'm so worried about what happened to our teammates." She takes a deep breath as they run. "But you're right, I shouldn't be. I suppose Sam's accident has shaken me a little."

"Yeah, it's not like Brick and Cameron got injured, too. They're probably waiting for us at the end of this challenge." Anne Maria halts and points ahead. "Wait! What's that glint near the tree?"

They run over to the pine. Dawn picks a golden key off the ground. "Cameron had the key," she says in a hushed voice.

She stands up and turns to Anne Maria. "We need to stick together. Cameron was right all along- anyone who gets separated gets caught." She puts her arm out to Anne Maria, pale eyes searching her face.

Anne Maria rolls her eyes. "We don't need to _link arms_ to stick togetha." Nevertheless, she puts her arm through Dawn's. They run alongside the graveyard border, then curve left toward the gravestone with the keyhole. Lightning and Mike also arrive at the gravestone. Both groups stare at each other.

"We got here first," Lightning says.

"No, we did!" Anne Maria says.

"No, you two were making a turn when we got here."

"Yeah right," she scoffs, "you two were still running ova here!"

Their voices overlap and grow to the volume of twin trumpets. Both make aggressive hand motions that stir the air around them. "STOP IT!" Dawn and Mike yell.

Anne Maria and Lightning fall silent, looking at their teammates. "You use your key first," Dawn and Mike say to each other.

Mike shakes his head. "Okay, that needs to stop." He steps onto the elevated grass in front of the gravestone and inserts the key.

Dawn's eyes go wide. "Wait a second-"

**BOING! **Mike goes flying from the coffin that shoots upright out of the grass. He lands a few seconds later with a resounding "Owww".

Lightning opens the wooden lid to reveal shelves inside. The first row is stocked with five flashlights. He takes four and tosses two of them to Anne Maria and Dawn. "Lightning always plays a fair game, no matter what."

"That sounds like something Brick would say," Dawn says, her mouth falling at the sides. Anne Maria pulls her along, and they run off toward the exit.

Mike walks over to Lightning, holding his head. "Here," Lightning says, shoving a flashlight into his hand. "Now come on, they're getting away!" They sprint after Anne Maria and Dawn.

Lightning and Mike manage to reach the cave ahead of the other two. Each team's flag is on either side of the entrance.

Chris's voice echoes out of the cave with crackling in the background. "Welcome to your final destination! The clue is just inside the entrance...and down the tunnel...into total darkness. Good luck! You'll need it..."

They exchange a glance before stepping inside.

Both turn on their flashlights. Lightning shines his ahead, illuminating a skeleton attached to a web on the wall. The web looms over them, the skeleton wearing what looks like an intern's outfit in shreds.

Mike lets loose a tremor. "That's not a real skeleton, is it?"

Lightning plucks a piece of paper off the skeleton's shirt. Taking several strides away from the web, he reads, "By hook or by crook, the end is near if you look."

"So the last souvenir is a hook or a crook?" Mike asks.

Lightning shrugs. "Apparently." He forges on ahead, and Mike follows.

Anne Maria and Dawn arrive at the mouth of the cave. Both lean on their knees while panting. "How- were they able to- pass us with our- head start?" Anne Maria says.

"Both- of them play- sports," Dawn replies. "I can see it- in their auras."

"Don't care about- that aura business." Anne Maria turns on her flashlight and walks inside the cave, and Dawn jogs up behind her.

"Wait up, guys!"

The girls swivel around. "Sam! Thank Mother Nature you're okay!" Dawn says.

Sam jogs over with a grin on his face. He has bandages covering his limbs, and some are on his neck. His clothes are still ripped and soiled. "You didn't think I'd skip out on the rest of the challenge, did you?"

"Well, we thought you'd be _out_ for the rest of the challenge," Anne Maria says.

"Nah, docs just patched me up and had me lie down for an hour. The maggots only wanted to eat the grease, not me." He chuckles.

Dawn wraps her arms around Sam's middle. He lifts his arms up, winces, and hugs her back.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"I've grown fonder of my team than I expected," Dawn says. "In fact, I didn't realize just how much I cared until this very challenge! As we kept losing teammates one by one, I became more and more anxious, so it was a major relief to see Sam back. I shall tend to the forest animals after this challenge is over as my way of thanking our most kind and generous Mother Nature."

* * *

Lightning and Mike walk through a narrow tunnel with stalactites hanging from above. Mike keeps checking the walls with his flashlight while Lightning leads the way.

Mike turns and shines the flashlight behind him. His eyes dart around the path from which they came. Seeing nothing but rock, his shoulders relax and he continues walking.

"Stop acting paranoid," Lightning says, casting a glance at him. "Unless you're gonna try to make us lose again."

Mike stares at the back of his head. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Lightning faces Mike, making him stop in his tracks. "Look, _I_ value team victory, and it angers me to see anyone who won't work with the team, or even worse, work _against_ the team. And that combined with you messing with the Lightning makes you his enemy. So either you try to be a team player, or stay out of the team effort, period. Got it?"

Mike nods with a stiff neck, the color drained from his face.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"_What_ did I do?" Mike says, hands on the sides of his head. "I swear, I'm losing my mind!"

* * *

Lightning's flashlight shows a rock shaped like a skull at the end of the cave. Six hooks stick out of it in different directions. "There's the last souvenir!" Lightning says, pointing ahead. "Sha-yeah!"

Mike directs his flashlight to the side of the cave, viewing the massive room they have entered. As he sweeps across the wall, the light hits the giant spider's web, making the caught teens squint.

Without turning his wide-eyed gaze, he taps Lightning's shoulder. "What?" Lightning says. When he sees the size of the web, his jaw drops.

"Can you point that thing somewhere else?" Scott says, shutting his eyes with a scowl.

"Er, sorry." Mike shifts the light onto the ceiling, where stalactites the size of refrigerators point down. A large shadow moves among them. He follows it with the flashlight until it crawls into view. The spider is as tall as the average woman and the color of an eggplant, its abdomen large enough to hold a child inside. It brandishes needle-sharp fangs at Mike and Lightning, letting out a noise between a hiss and a screech.

Mike and Lightning scream high in their throats. Jo turns her head back and forth. "Huh? Who's that?"

"It's Mike and Lightning," Zoey replies. "They've come to free us!... maybe. Hopefully."

Just then, Dawn, Anne Maria, and Sam run into the cave area. Dawn gives Sam her flashlight, which he flashes around the cave. "Hey, there's the next souvenir!" He points the flashlight upward. "Hey, there's our teammates!" The spider hisses from above, and Sam shines his flashlight on it. "Hey, a gigantic spider!"

His eyes become unfocused. "Uhh. This is so cool, my head is spinning."

"Any idea how we're gonna reach that web?" Mike asks Lightning.

"We can climb the walls on either side of the web," Lightning says. "That way, we can free our team faster."

"They don't look very climbable..." The walls of the cave are smooth, with few interruptions in between.

"It's the only way _I_ can see," Lightning says. They split to opposite sides of the web and begin scaling the rock.

"If we grab the souvenir while the Maggots are busy, we'll be first!" Anne Maria says.

"But our teammates' lives are at stake!" Sam says, pointing an arm at the web.

"That's not quite true, actually," Dawn says. "I can sense in the spider's aura that it does not have the intention of killing or eating anyone. However, we'll suffer the penalties if we don't save them."

Anne Maria crosses her arms. "Fine. We'll probably lose this way, but whateva."

Mike and Lightning are making steady progress. The camera cuts to Lightning reaching the web. He steps onto it near Jo, who turns her head to him. "Who's there, Pointy or Jockstrap?"

"Lightning," he says while glaring at her. "You're calling me nicknames _now_?"

"Sorry, slip of the tongue. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm freeing you guys." Lightning begins tugging at the webs wrapped around Jo's body.

"You shouldn't be freeing us, you should be at the finish line by now!"

He pauses. "But isn't there a penalty given for every lost member?"

"Yeah, but you should still be trying to _win_," Jo says. At his silence, she sighs. "Well, I don't call you Sha-Dork for nothing."

"Well, unlike you, I'm a team player." Lightning rips off her webs, scattering them to the floor. He peels away the webs covering her eyes, and she blinks. "Now, help us free our other teammates."

"Alright," Jo says with indifference, and Lightning's eyebrows rise. She sidesteps along the web over to Scott.

Mike reaches the other side of the web next to Zoey. "Hi, Zoey. Hanging in there? Heh."

One side of her mouth quirks up. "It's not like I have a choice."

"That'll soon change, I assure you." Mike grunts as he pulls on the strings restricting her. "Man, these webs are thick! Rrruhh!" He tears the webs in half, and Zoey steps out. Her knees wobble. Just as she teeters off the web, Mike catches her arm.

Zoey lets go of her breath. "Whoa, that was close. I haven't walked in hours! Thanks."

"Anytime," he says. He climbs alongside Zoey over to the wall.

Anne Maria is scaling the rock ahead of Dawn and Sam. By the time she arrives at the web, only Cameron and Brick are still entangled. She puts her foot down on one of threads near the edge, pausing to catch her breath. "Well. That took- forever."

A high-pitched scream rises near her and echoes throughout the cave. "Cameron?" she gasps.

"SPIDER!" Cameron shrieks, his face twitching as the purple mutant spider waves its legs near him. Brick wriggles around in his body cast, eyes fixed on Cameron. He mouths "Oh no" over and over. Cameron's skin glistens, teeth grating together as the spider put its six beady eyes close to his dilated ones.

"EEEYAHHH!" He bursts out of the webs and tackles the spider, sending it to dangle in the air. His fists slam over and over again into the spider's back. All of his teammates watch with their mouths open.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

Cameron's expression displays utter calmness. "Ah, adrenaline," he says. "Nature's super strength formula. Someone should really bottle it!"

* * *

After grabbing their hooks, the Maggots run over to a rope sloping down from a stalagmite it's tied to. They come to a stop at the cliff.

Mike steps forward and looks down into the depths. He swallows. "That looks really deep." He turns to his team. "Anyone wanna go first?"

"I'll go," Jo and Lightning say.

Lightning crosses his arms. "Are you serious with the Lightning right now?"

"I most definitely am, Protein Puff. I'm doing it to make sure it's safe for the rest of us."

"What, have you changed into a whole 'nother guy in a couple hours?"

"Look, I'll do it," Zoey says. The two athletes look at her. "I just want to get out of here. Don't you?"

She walks to the edge of the cliff and hangs her hook on the rope. For several seconds, she stands frozen in place, arms up over her head. Then, her feet leave the cliff, and she sails through the air. Mike and Scott follow in close pursuit, Jo and Lightning joining in a moment later.

The five teens streak along the rope into a tunnel. Their screams mix with the growls and hisses resounding in the blind darkness. They come out of the tunnel to the end of the rope, tied around a stalactite. The hooks unhinge on the rock, throwing all the Maggots into a heap besides Lightning.

Lightning flips in midair and lands in front of his team. "Sha-bam! Now, was that a magnificent flip or what?"

Jo scoffs. "Show-off."

Chris walks over to them. "Maggots, first to arrive. Since you have brought all five members to the finish line, you are hereby the winners of today's challenge!"

Jo raises a fist in the air. "Yes!"

"Sweet victory!" Lightning shouts, high-fiving Scott.

"Whoo hoo, yeah!" Mike raises his arms toward Zoey, and drops them right away. "Sorry, you can ignore that. I don't know what I was thi-"

She puts her arms around him. "Victory hug!" Mike hugs her back. The two smile at each other.

The Rats fly out of the tunnel, landing in a pile. Cameron flops on top. "Oof! Huh, soft landing."

"Sorry Rats, the Maggots already won," Chris says. "You guys are the big losers of today's challenge."

"Aww," Brick says. His teammates' faces fall.

"Ohoho, but wait! There's a twist at hand," Chris says with a sly grin. "Both teams are eliminating someone tonight."

"WHAT?" the Maggots yell.

"But we _won_! What was the point of winning this challenge?" Jo says.

Chris shrugs. "None, really. But it was a lot o' fun, right?"

The Maggots narrow their eyes at him. Just then, a hissing comes out of the tunnel. The teens turn to watch as the giant spider lets go of its hook and lands in front of them. They all scream and back away.

It lets out a cackle and lifts its head off, revealing a girl with red hair and green eyes. "Oh! Oh! The looks on your faces! Oh, they were priceless!" She bursts into cackles once more.

Anne Maria points at Izzy. "Hey, it's that crazy girl from the first generation cast!"

Izzy stops laughing, her mouth drawn in a straight line. "I'm not crazy." She breaks into a grin showing all her teeth. "I'm _psycho!_"

The contestants take several steps back.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"Turns out it was just one of the old cast members in a spider costume," Cameron says, watching a spider crawl along his index finger. "Thankfully, it cured me of my arachnophobia." He draws his hands to his chin, and the spider is left hanging from its web. "Although now, I'm completely terrified of Izzy."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I've come up with the realization that I need to align myself more with my team," Jo says. "That is, if I want to get far in this game. I'm not gonna become all 'buddy-buddy' with them, I'll just make sure they don't try to target me." Her lips curl. "And I can start by making an alliance to ensure _I_ don't get voted out."

* * *

The campers are walking on the forest path back to the cabins. "Hey, Jockstrap," Jo says in a light tone.

Lightning hardly looks at her. "What do you want, Jo?"

Jo pats his back. "I'm glad you asked! You, me, Scott. Alliance. What do you think?"

"I'd never make an alliance with you if my life depended on it!"

"Not even for a spot in the merge? Listen, I'm not planning for this to be long-lasting, like either of us want that. But we're the two strongest players on our team. If we get one more person on our side, we can control the vote."

Lightning focuses on the path ahead. Jo sees this and smiles. "You can get back to me later. I know it's a tempting offer."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"Lightning does want to get past the merge," Lightning says, holding his chin. "But you know, what he _really_ wants to hear is Jo apologize for all he's done."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Jo came to me just now, asking for an alliance," Scott says. "Lightning's apparently included, which surprised me, 'cause I thought the two hated each other!" He chuckles. "Guess Protein-for-Brains can't hold a grudge."

* * *

Both teams sit at the campfire on their stumps, clearly separate from each other. A soft hum sits in the air from their chatter. They all become quiet as Chris clears his throat. "At this point, both the Rats and the Maggots have become familiar with the campfire ceremony. Those of you who receive a marshmallow from this tray here are safe. Whoever receives the toxic marshmallow of loserdom is g-o-n-e, GONE. No one else is pulling a Dakota, got it?" He lowers his pointer finger that he waved at the contestants. "The following Rats are safe."

"Dawn." Dawn claps her hands and goes to get her marshmallow.

"Anne Maria." Anne Maria grins and stands up.

"Brick."

Brick rises and turns to face his teammates. "Comrades, I express my thanks for keeping me from elimination. I know I didn't do my best job in today's challenge, but tomorrow is a new day, and-"

"Sit down, soldier!" Jo shouts.

Anne Maria swivels around with her marshmallow. "Hey! Brick has the right to speak, so shut your own piehole."

"Can you let me finish with the name-calling please?" Chris says. "The final marshmallow goes to..."

Dawn gets up from her stump. "Wait! Why is Cameron on the chopping-block?" She motions with her hand to Cameron beside her.

"His plan to stick together didn't exactly work," Sam says. Anne Maria and Brick nod.

"But Brick, you got caught by going to get the key on your own! And Sam, you only got caught because all of us split up at the graveyard. After that, Anne Maria and I stayed together, and neither of us were taken. Cameron's plan would've worked if we had all just listened to him!"

Her teammates glance from her face to the ground. "It's tough on all of us to eliminate a team member, Dawn," Brick says. "You may be fond of Cameron, but we all voted on our own terms."

"It's okay, Dawn," Cameron says. "I'm fine with leaving."

"Can I finish?" Chris says, each of his words clipped. "The Rat eliminated tonight is..._Cameron_."

Sam smiles and stands up. "What a relief!" Chef flings the toxic marshmallow at Cameron, who shields his head and ducks. The marshmallow hisses as it sinks through the ground.

Cameron gets on his feet with a sigh. "Time to go back to my bubble." He looks at all his teammates, his gaze finally landing on Dawn. "Well, I'll always remember you guys."

"Cameron, sit down. You're not leaving just yet," Chris says.

"Really? But I thought we were being launched individually."

"You thought wrong." Cameron sits down.

"Now for the Maggots." Chris turns to the other half of the stumps. "The following players are safe."

"Lightning."

"Yeah!" Lightning runs over to the marshmallow tray.

"Scott." Scott rises up with a bland smile.

"Mike." Mike releases his breath, then gasps as he looks at Zoey without a marshmallow.

"The loser going home on the Maggots' side is..." Jo folds her arm. She glares at Zoey as she crosses her fingers and bows her head, eyes shut.

"_Zoey_."

Zoey slumps over, the second toxic marshmallow going over her head. "Aww. I was really hoping to make it to the merge, at least. That would've been awesome."

"I would've liked to see you there too," Mike says. "I'll miss you. Would you, uh, wanna stay in touch?"

She smiles. "Sure! At least that's _something_ I got out of this show."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere for now. Neither are you, Cameron," Chris says. "Because, you guys are switching teams!"

"Really? Sweet!" Zoey says. Cameron stiffens as the Maggots turn their eyes on him, Jo's stare intimidating in particular.

"Way to ruin our team, McLean," Jo snaps.

Chris gives her a grin with narrowed eyes. "You're welcome." He faces the camera, still smiling. "With the brand-new team switcheroo, what's next in store for those losers? How will their team dynamics be affected? You'll have to find out next time, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

NOTE: I hope that the next update won't take as long as this one! My goal is to get a chapter out every 2 weeks or less. Honest feedback on this chapter would be wonderful, as I did quite a bit of experimenting with how I wrote the Finders Creepers episode. This story will branch out more and more from the canon with each episode. There is a little poll I have created that asks your opinion on the Jock (JoxBrick) pairing. The results will have an influence on how I make Jo and Brick interact with each other. I already have plans for them, but they are subject to change!


	9. Backstabbers Ahoy! (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

WishStar: Yes, you made yourself quite clear before about your opinion on Jock. ;-) Thing is, I have two plots in mind for Brick that I cannot combine: one with Jock, and one without. The plot not involving Jo as his love interest would mostly be in a future All-Stars remake that I want to write. So the question is whether I should pick the plot that comes early, or the plot that comes later. At that, I am stumped.

TDRI: Thanks for your input, and for reading my story!

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Sam, Dawn, Zoey

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Lightning, Cameron

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B

**RECAP**

Chris stands on the dock underneath a vibrant sky with Chef. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of Island!: Ten campers went on a scavenger hunt that was spookyyyy. Lightning and Mike got on each other's nerves- actually, Mike just got on Lightning's nerves." He chuckles. "The first alliance of the season was formed! Also, I switched Zoey and Cameron onto opposite teams. Hey, it's my show. I can do whatever I _want_.

"Lastly, arachnid Izzy showed up to do an eight-legged tap dance for a captive audience. Who will ride the Hurl of Shame next? How many times can I laugh at them before then? Find out right now, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

Chef crosses his arms. "Why're ya having me stand here, anyway?"

Chris's mouth pushes up into a pout. "You didn't have to come. I just thought you'd want to."

Chef glances at his face before looking at the sky. "Whatever."

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

On the left side of the males' bedroom, Lightning and Scott rise and fall under their blankets. The camera view moves over to the other side, where Cameron is sitting up in his sleeping bag. He scribbles at a lightning pace in a notepad, lifting his head at the bunk above him.

The view shifts up to Mike, who is crouching on his bed. "Alright, which one of you guys was it?" His voice is slow and murmuring. "Please don't, Svetlana."

"Stick ze landing Svetlana," he says in a higher tone. "Practice makes perfect ten." He spreads out his arms and springs to his full height.

**CRACK! **Mike's eyes shoot open. "OW!" His knees fall out from under him, and he tips off the edge of the bed.

**THUMP! **He lands on his back with a crack. His eyes are squeezed shut, limbs spread out in a star position.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"That was _not_ a good wake-up call," Mike says. His eyelids droop, making the bags under his eyes more prominent. "I don't even want to go back to sleep, or else my personalities might kill me. Svetlana specifically."

* * *

Cameron stares at Mike as Lightning and Scott sit up. "What the heck was that?" Scott says, turning his head left and right. He clutches the edge of his his bed and leans over. "Wow, Mike... You okay?"

Mike touches his head and winces. "No, not really."

"What's not okay is interrupting Lightning's sleep for the hundredth time!" Lightning flops back into bed and folds the pillow over his ears. He lifts it off just as quickly, looking ahead at the wall. "Hey, wait a second."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"Why is Jo on the girls' side of the cabin?" Lightning says. "He could've moved into the guys' side after B got out! Unless he has a thing for Zoey. I thought Mike had that though. Huh, lucky Jo."

* * *

Jo stands in the middle of the girls' bedroom wearing a towel. "Ah... solitude at last. I can finally work out like the ancient Olympians." She unties the towel, letting it fall from her chest.

Lightning opens the door. "Hey Jo, why don't you move in to t-" His eyes pop wide open.

Jo clutches the towel ends in a fist around her chest. She jabs her finger at the door, her face dark red. "_GET OUT_!"

Doing a shaky turn, Lightning walks out the door and shuts it behind him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo is back in her sweatsuit, though her eyes keep darting from the camera. The color from her face has gathered into her cheeks. "I don't think he saw anything but my- my-"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey raises both arms in the air. "Hooray for fresh beginnings!" She lowers them and smiles. "I have a chance to make a good impression on my new teammates. It's great that there's more girls to talk to. I can hardly start a conversation with a guy- except Mike. Still, I think us separating is a good thing." Her eyebrows press inward. "Not because of the 'Vito' incident, he must've been in a bad mood. It happens to everyone! I mean, he's been- he _was_ so nice to me otherwise. If I wanted a boyfriend, he would be it. But I don't do that kind of thing, relationships."

* * *

The camera view shows the back of Dawn as she walks toward the woods, humming to herself.

"Hey, Dawn!"

Dawn turns toward the camera. "Good morning, Brick."

The perspective switches to full view as Brick jogs up to Dawn, wearing a grin that forms crinkles around his eyes. "Good morning. Would you like some company during your walk?"

"I'll be alright on my own. Thank you for the offer, though."

His grin vanishes, and he scratches the back of his neck. "Are- are you sure? I mean, there are some dangerous mutant animals in there."

"They're harmless, as long as you don't startle them."

"Really?" Brick says, both eyebrows lifted.

Dawn smiles. "Indeed. Their mutations have made them a little agitated, but they're still animals."

"Animals can still hurt you," he says. "I consider it my duty, ma'am, to keep you safe from the _agitated_ ones."

She tilts her head while staring at him. "Hm. Well, if you insist." She begins edging into the trees, and Brick walks beside her.

The two stroll along on the twigs and pine needles littering the dirt floor. Dawn stoops to examine a curly sprout standing above a patch of grass. "Toxic waste exposure has killed much of the plant life here," she murmurs. "Still, Mother Nature never stops giving her gifts all over the world- even to this small, contaminated island."

"I never thought of nature that way," Brick says. "Back in Cadets, though, we learned how to survive the elements." He grins. "I also learned in Muskrat Boys when I was little."

Dawn stands and turns to him. "I can tell it still means a lot to you."

He opens his mouth, and no words come out. "... Yeah, it does. H-how did you know?"

"It's in your aura." Her eyebrows pinch inward. "It was the thing you looked forward to most among the teasing you suffered in school. When you were of age, you moved on to military school and created a new identity that you need to assert to others. That is why you came with me on this trip."

Brick's eyes have widened as she spoke. He squints at her now with flat black irises. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not like that at all! I grew out of that teasing and became the kind of person I wanted to be, that I'm _proud_ of."

"You've always been a good person, Brick. Please try to understand- I don't want you to feel bound to this 'better' identity. It's okay to be weak sometimes, those who care won't judge you. If you continue to act on the need to prove yourself, you will wear yourself out doing good for others." She pauses to take a breath. "Your actions should come out of the goodness of your heart, not for your own sake."

"I know you mean well, Dawn, and I'm grateful for your concern," Brick says. "But I'd rather you not mention my childhood. It's not really something I like to talk about." Dawn only has time to nod before he walks away.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Dawn has this amazing ability to read into other people's lives," Brick says. "However, she doesn't understand the toughening treatment you get as a cadet. 'No weakness is allowed on the battleground, meaning it will NOT be allowed on the training ground!'" His voice has dropped to a booming growl, almost like a lion's. "Drill instructor's orders. You know, I once had a fear of the dark before I learned how to suppress it. It is my sole dream to become a fearless fighter for my country." His smile wavers.

* * *

All the teens sit at their team tables in the main lodge eating breakfast, which consists of bacon, chicken legs, and other unidentifiable meats mushed together. An apple lies on the side of every tray.

Scott, Jo, and Lightning sit on one side of the Maggots' table. Cameron takes a piece of bacon and chews on it, keeping his eyes down.

Jo puts down her fork. "Listen here, Toothpick." Cameron looks up mid-chew. "I'm in charge of this team, take it or leave it. But if you try anything against me, you'll be voted off next. I'll make sure of it. Understood?"

"Mhm." Cameron swallows. "I got it."

"Good." She takes up her fork and shovels meat into her mouth.

Lightning shakes his head. "You still _eat_ like a dude..." The others look at him curiously.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I was ready to go home yesterday," Cameron says. "I'm still suspended in disbelief right now, though Jo's sure to knock it out of me soon enough." His mouth stretches into a thin line. "But I won't let this second chance go to waste. I'm going to strategize from here on in to get myself into the merge."

* * *

Zoey sits between Dawn and Sam, with Brick and Anne Maria facing the three. "Well, Zoey, welcome to the Toxic Rats!" Sam says with a flourish.

"Glad to be here!" Zoey says, pushing her fork with her finger. "I can't wait to get to know you guys."

Dawn watches Zoey's fork. "Don't feel nervous, you''ll fit in just fine."

Zoey stops, lifts her fork, and smiles. "That means a lot to me, honestly."

"Why's that?" Brick asks. Anne Maria stares ahead as the rest look at Zoey.

"I didn't really fit in with my last team. Jo was pretty much team captain, and she didn't like me that much."

"She can be disagreeable at times, but I've always seen her as a strong competitor," Brick says.

Zoey bobs her head. "Oh, she is." Just then, feedback sounds over the loudspeaker.

"Attention campers!" Chris says. "Breakfast is cutting into precious time that you can spend getting injured. Grab your swimsuits and meet me at the dock, pronto!"

* * *

The campers stand on either side of the dock wearing their swimsuits. A crumpled scuba suit sits in front of each team, attached by tube to oxygen pumps decorated with the team symbols. "Alright! Here to help us get today's competition under way, say hello to one of our classic competitors, Bridgette!" Chris says.

A canoe comes to the dock, with Owen in front and Bridgette in the back. "Let's get this over with! Remember, my contract said demonstration_ only_," Bridgette snaps, pointing at Chris.

Chris puts one hand up. "Relax. No demo needed. Just chum the water with Owen." He raises a finger. "Challenge, Part One: each team must get a pair of water skis in an underwater mission, or drown trying. One victim- I mean, _camper_\- will snag the skis in an old school diving suit and float them to the surface, while the rest of their team pumps them oxygen. First team to surface their skis wins, and gets an advantage in Part Two. So, decide who's diving!"

"I'll dive," Jo says to her team. "Any objections?"

Mike's forehead creases. "Uh, yeah. How do you know none of us are faster than you?"

"Yeah, I bet I'm the fastest here!" Lightning says.

"Remember the race across the lake after Chris blew up our ship? I made it to shore second after some Rat girl," Jo says. Mike and Scott glance at each other as Lightning scowls.

"That wasn't an actual race," Cameron says. Jo grabs the scuba helmet and shoves it onto his head, causing him to fall over with a loud_ clunk_.

"Jo makes a solid point." His voice sounds smaller inside the helmet.

"Listen to Chicken-Legs, get busy pumping air, and _don't make me use my whistle_." Jo pats her neck and gasps. "Alright, who took my whistle?!"

Lightning and Mike crouch near Cameron. "Don't mind Jo. She likes to think she's the boss of everything," Lightning says. He stretches out his hand.

Cameron takes it, and Lightning pulls him into the air. Landing on his feet, he tilts backward and hits the dock with a grunt. Lightning raises his eyebrows. "It's the helmet weighing him down," Mike says.

Before they can reach for it, Jo marches up and yanks the helmet off Cameron's head. "I'll be needing that," she says, and walks away.

"I volunteer to dive for our team," Brick says to the Rats. "In Cadets, we ran through river currents to build endurance- and character, too."

"Wow! That sounds like the training of a warrior apprentice," Zoey says.

Anne Maria coughs. "Weirdo."

"Do you play video games?" Sam asks.

"No, I just watch a lot of action movies. I do some crafts in my spare time too." Zoey points to the pin in her hair and smiles. "I made this flower, see?"

"Is that made of_ felt_?" Anne Maria asks, squinting one eye. "Girl, can't you afford the fake flowers in shops?"

Zoey's smile dissipates. "Uh, I think we should let Brick be the diver, what about you guys?" Sam says. The team nods, Zoey lowering her eyes to the dock.

Dawn walks to her and smiles. "I think your flower is pretty."

Zoey looks up and blinks. "Thank you. Dawn, is it?" Dawn nods. "I remember talking to you before, right over there." She points to the group of rocks on the shore.

Dawn shifts where she's standing. "Yes. I may have imposed myself upon you at the time. My apologies."

"No worries!" Zoey forms a smile. "It was rude of me to walk away without getting to know you. I'm glad I have the chance now."

Jo and Brick step to the middle of the dock. Jo smirks. "Well, looks like I have easy competition."

Brick narrows his eyes in the midst of smiling. "We'll see about that." The two put on their scuba suits.

Chris lifts one finger. "Ready...GO!"

**SPLASH! **Jo and Brick sink to the bottom and squint ahead. A boulder stands in the distance, balancing both pairs of water skis. The two divers run in slow-motion; Jo chops the water with her arms, but Brick's motion more-resembles punching with his closed fists.

Jo turns her head to Brick. Her laughter pierces through the helmet. "Hey, boxer! Wanna try using your arms more?"

"I'll have you know that I placed second in an underwater race with my fellow cadets," Brick snaps.

"Who got in first, the guy who actually pumped his arms?"

Brick grunts. "Maybe."

"Exactly, Pants-Wetter. You're not the slowest though, I'll give you that." Brick's face twitches as Jo breaks further away.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"I do not appreciate your nicknames, Jo," Brick says, pointing at the camera. "I'm tired of your insults. I wish you'd treat me with a little more_ respect_." He shakes his head. "If I could just gather the courage to say these things to her face..."

* * *

The Rats shout encouragements into the water as Anne Maria pumps air. "Go, BricK!" Zoey and Dawn say.

"Imagine that a Cheep Chomp is chasing you!" Sam yells.

Anne Maria turns around. "A _what_?"

Brick switches to the way Jo is running, speeding up right away. He closes the gap between them bit by bit until they are neck and neck and approaching the boulder.

Jo turns her head, and her mouth forms a wide "o". "What the-" She growls and puts on a burst of speed.

"Come on Jo!" Mike shouts.

"You can do it!" Scott says.

"Hmph. If Jo had let me swim, those skis would be surfaced by now," Lightning mutters, pushing down on the oxygen pump.

Cameron kneels at the edge of the dock and stares into the water. "It's a close race, guys." Mike and Scott go to sit on either side of him.

"Cameron, I just wanted to say- welcome to our team," Scott says. "I'm sorry no one said it to you sooner."

Cameron raises his eyebrows. "It's fine. I didn't really think about that anyway." Mike gazes at Scott for a moment before looking away.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Something about Scott's behavior seems off to me," Mike says. "I'm not saying that I know Scott really well, it's just that I might not know him as well as I thought." He scratches the back of his neck. "Huh. That sounds kinda weird."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Ever since Cameron came, there's been loads of possibilities in the playing field," Scott says, rubbing his hands together. "I have to play my cards right to get what I want- Lightning and Jo gone. And Mega Jock's going home first."

* * *

Brick is ahead of Jo and only a few yards from the boulder. A tall pointed shadow pops over it quick as a flash. Brick falters, staggering to a stop. "Whoa, what was _that_?"

Jo passes by him with a smirk. "Tired already?" She stops in front of the boulder and tugs at one of the ropes tying down the skis.

"JO, LOOK OUT!" Brick screams. Jo looks up just as Fang descends on her, jaws open wide.

"AH-" Fang engulfs her helmet. His teeth scrape against the metal, and his smile drops. Furrows form in his forehead as he gnaws on the helmet, spit smearing the glass.

The camera view shifts to Chris standing on the dock with the contestants. "We care about the safety of our contestants, thus proving it with providing shark-proof helmets." A grin stretches across his face. "Of course, the rest of their bodies are fair game."

The campers look at him, their mouths twisted downward. Anne Maria and Lightning stop pumping. "Yeeeshh," Chris says, lowering his eyelids. "You guys take my jokes way too seriously."

Brick speeds through the water toward Fang and Jo. Jo flails her fists and hits Fang on the nose. She turns her body to him and sends a foot into his stomach. Fang spits out her head and whimpers, swimming away.

"Stupid shark!" Jo yells, raising her fist at Fang.

Brick descends in front of her. "Jo! You're alive, thank God!"

"Yup, I'm alive, and now I'm gonna win." Jo pulls the loosened rope so her pair of skis float upward. She rises to the surface with them.

The skis pop onto the surface, Jo rising a second later. "And the Maggots win the first challenge!" Chris says.

The Maggots cheer as the Rats stand in silence. As Jo is climbing onto the dock, Brick reaches the surface with his pair of skis.

Brick joins his team at the dock. "Dude, what happened?" Sam asks.

Brick pulls off his helmet. "I was ahead of Jo until Fang came and she beat him up, then she freed her team's skis."

"Whoa, hold up. Jo beat up a _shark_?" Anne Maria says.

"Not to mention a mutant one," Zoey says.

"That is a whole new level of epic!" Sam says.

"Yeah," Brick says, craning his head to look at Jo. "She is one formidable enemy."

* * *

NOTE: Another reminder to vote on the Jock poll in my profile. This author's curious.


	10. Backstabbers Ahoy! (Part 2)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

On my poll, the scale has been tipped in the Jock shippers' favor! Thank you to all who have participated so far.

That is all. Yup! No long list of sentences here.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Sam, Dawn, Zoey

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Lightning, Cameron

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B

"It is time to begin the second part of the challenge: a death-defying water ski race!" Chris turns to the Maggots on one side of the dock. "Since the Maggots surfaced their skis first, they get a McLean-brand speed boat."

Lightning thrusts a fist in the air. "Sha-booyah!" He gives Scott a high-five.

"And for the Rats: a totally leaky dinghy!" The Rats groan. A sleek boat stops smoothly at the dock, carrying Dakota. Several seconds later, an inflated raft putters into position.

Sam's lips quirk into a smile, and he waves to Dakota. She blinks, putting a hand up a bit later.

"The goal of this challenge: be the first to ring four bells on the totally harmless buoys." Chris motions to a buoy shaped like a spiked ball in the distance. Bridgette and Owen paddle around it.

"Which are explosive and can kill you if you get too close!" Bridgette yells. The campers gasp.

Chris squints at her. "Way to spoil the fun, Bridgette. Anyway, choose three campers to water ski, one to drive, and one to operate your gull cannon."

Dawn's eyes go round. "_Gull_ cannon?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, you heard me." A whirring sound comes from the boats, and two rotational shooters sprout. Each has three stacked cages holding seagulls. "Each team gets three chances to shoot the bells- or the other team! Heheh. Whatever floats your boat, get it?" The lake swishes in the background. He sighs. "Whichever team rings the most bells wins."

Cameron stoops to the level of the seagulls. Their snake-like eyes zero in on him, rattle tails waving. "These seagulls look abnormal..."

"Oh, they're abnormal alright. Half seagull, half rattlesnake- all with paralyzing venom." Cameron backs away and stands with the other Maggots.

The teams face into each other. "Since I was the diver before, I'll let other people be the driver and shooter," Jo says.

"You'll_ let_ other people?" Lightning says with a scoff. "Well in that case, Lightning will be the driver."

"I'll be the shooter! Been shooting kitchen rats with my pappy since I was six," Scott says.

Mike raises his eyebrows. "He let you handle a gun at that age?"

Sam holds the cannon on the Rats' dinghy, examining it from all angles. "First-person shooter! Cooool."

"Maybe you should shoot, Sam," Zoey says.

He looks up. "Oh, yeah! Sure."

"Sounds good to me," Brick says with a nod. "Who's a good driver among our troops?"

"I am," Zoey and Anne Maria say.

Anne Maria's eyes narrow. "Fine. You drive. Prove you're not worthless to the team."

Zoey steps to the front of the dinghy. She curls her fingers around the wheel, knuckles turning white, then releases it.

Brick turns to Anne Maria. "Ma'am, I have a question to ask you. Why do you treat our new teammate with hostility?"

"Because she should be home right now! Why does she get a second chance at the million when the others before her were eliminated?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA

Anne Maria has her arms crossed. "Miss Goody-Goody may have won everyone else over, but I ain't fooled. I don't trust her one bit. I can think of fifty reasons why she shouldn't be here now, number two bein' her dorky hairdo."

* * *

Sam turns his head to Dakota standing on the dock. "Hey, Dakota! I meant to ask this before- how's interning?"

"It sucks." Dakota holds up a bucket full of green mush. "I have to feed this goop to the mutant shark here."

"Yikes! Be careful."

"Uh huh." She tilts her head. "Sam, why do you talk to me?"

Sam's eyebrows go up. "Why do I talk to you? Because, well, I dunno. I enjoy talking to you."

"I've never been nice to you, not that I can remember."

"You've been nice enough," he says, nodding quickly. "Even if you were mean at one point, I must've forgiven you. I mean, I'm not like those enemies in videogames who hold a grudge forever just for the main plot."

Dakota releases a small laugh. "That's, um, good to hear."

"Everybody ready?" Chris says.

"Is this a joke? You can't expect these amateurs to be able to slalom ski," Jo says, gesturing to the others. Anne Maria and Brick are holding their boat's handle as they each stand on one ski. Dawn rides on Brick's back. Mike occupies the ski next to Jo while he carries Cameron.

"What do you mean by 'slalom'?" Brick asks.

"It means ski on one ski," Chris says, "which will be absolutely _hilarious_ to watch." He snickers and lifts his air horn into the air. **HONKKKKKK!**

The Maggots' boat zooms forward, and the skis hit the water. Mike makes a hard left, then veers to the right, tilting at a wide angle. "Whoa-a-a! I can't get this thing strai-" He slips off his ski sideways. _Splash!_

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"I'm good at most sports, especially kickboxing. My counselor recommended it to me as part of my therapy, " Mike says. "Thing is, I've never water-skied before. I bet my wipeout will make it to the final cut. What else..." His face breaks into a wide smile. "Oh yeah, my personalities haven't shown up lately! Thanks to that, things are back to normal with Zoey, other than the fact that we're on different teams now. And I figure that if I work hard enough on the challenges, Lightning will forgive me- er, my personalities- for hurting the team in the fort challenge." He rests his cheek in one hand. "I can't erase whatever my team thinks of me from when I _wasn't_ me, so this is the best I can do."

* * *

The distance between the Rats' dinghy and the Maggots' speedboat widens every second. Brick and Anne Maria ride their skis by lying on their stomachs while holding the handle. "Go faster!" Anne Maria yells.

"It doesn't go any faster!" Zoey says. She stares ahead at the other boat, biting her lip.

Mike heaves himself onto the ski, with Cameron on his back and spewing water. Mike looks up at Jo, who is standing on her ski with hardly a quiver. "How are you doing that?"

"I water ski a lot with my brothers as competition." She shakes her head as Mike tries to put a foot on the ski and wobbles. "Don't even try. I water skied five years to get this good."

He sucks in air, and his eyes glisten. "Mike may fail at water skiing, but Svetlana succeeds at every sport!" Svetlana gets up, placing one foot in front of the other.

"Wha- how'd you learn so quickly?" Jo's voice has risen and become sharp. "You were lying. You have water skied before."

"Well, duh," Svetlana says in an airy fashion. "Unlike you, Svetlana is an Olym-peec champion." Jo squints an eye at her.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Pointy's impressions are pretty weird and somewhat annoying," Jo says. "But whatever. 'Svetlana'-" she makes air quotes- "is more of an asset to my team than Mike."

* * *

Owen and Bridgette paddle toward the second buoy in the distance. Owen glances behind him at Bridgette, whose face is frozen as she moves her arms in a mechanical motion. "Hey Bridgette, are you okay?"

Bridgette blinks at him, then sighs. "Yeah, I'm fine Owen. I just don't like being on the show, that's all."

"Why not? Is it because of the drama?"

"That's part of it. It_ has_ ruined my relationships with some people."

"But you have Geoff as your boyfriend, and you're friends with everyone on the show," Owen says.

Bridgette lowers her eyes. "Well, not everyone. I hardly talk to Gwen anymore, or Courtney."

"Oh yeah. Weren't you really good friends with them before?"

She nods. "Then the love triangle with them and Duncan happened. I lost my friendship with Gwen before though. I would've shunned her for kissing Duncan like when she broke up with Trent, but then I realized through Alejandro that my moral compass isn't perfect either. The show got to her too."

Owen's eyes widen. "Yeah, it does that to people! But I think you're still the nicest person on the show."

Bridgette smiles, her expression back to its usual calm. "No, that's you Owen."

The Maggots's boat glides along, the first buoy approaching on its left side. "Buoy up ahead!" Lightning says to Scott.

"I see it," Scott says, peering through the cannon's sight. Right after he loads the cannon, a seagull flies by his face and hits the bell on the buoy.

**BOOM! **Bridgette and Owen jump, then look behind them.

Sam lifts a fist into the air, the other hand on the cannon. "Yes! First strike!"

"Good job, Sam!" Zoey says.

"Excellent shot, soldier!" Brick yells.

"We can win this!" Dawn says.

"Did you really doubt our team, Dawn?" Brick says with a sideways smile.

"Well- yes. But this dinghy is holding up better than I anticipated."

"Get the next buoy or you'll be eliminated tonight, Carrot Top!" Jo shouts.

"Oh, I'll have you gone tomorrow sister," Scott says under his breath.

Lightning turns his head from the wheel. "Hey Scott, I have a question to ask you."

Scott looks at him and curls his lips. "Shoot."

"Did you know that Jo's a girl?"

"You found out? I mean, yeah, I knew." The boat steadily curves toward a wide patch of reeds.

Lightning faces back forward and shakes his head. He straightens the boat's direction to ride along the reed path. "Man, if I'm the only one who thought she was a guy, I'll be even more embarrassed."

"Honestly, you were. The rest of us were waiting for you to find out. The others were going to tell you, but I didn't let them because I wanted to spare you the embarrassment..."

Lightning turns again and puts a hand up from the wheel. "Hey, it's fine. Thanks for caring."

Scott's eyes go wide. "Lightning, wa-" The boat runs into the reeds. The water skis tip Jo, Svetlana, and Cameron into the water. Lightning yanks the wheel to the left ("Sha-dang it!"), and the dinghy passes by.

"We're in the lead!" Anne Maria says.

"Whoo hoo! Awesome! Epic!" Zoey, Brick, and Sam cheer.

Dawn scans the water behind her. "Where's Cameron?" she mutters.

The boat rumbles as it edges out of the reeds. Jo and Svetlana tuck their skis under their arms while grasping the handle. "What the heck was that, Sha-Spaz?"

"If I take my eye off the water for one second, the boat turns!" Lightning says.

"Then don't take your eye off the water!" In a lower voice, Jo says, "I knew I should've taken the driver position."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"I knew from the start that Lightning is a threat," Scott says. "B distracted me temporarily from voting him off, but I've got him now. All I have to do is make him look bad and make sure we lose the challenge, and I'm already accomplishing both." His lips pull back in a sneer. "His fate is sealed."

* * *

Jo and Svetlana climb onto their skis as the boat accelerates. Soon, it zooms toward the dinghy. Brick looks behind him. "The enemy is gaining on us!"

"The next buoy is close though," Dawn says, pointing ahead. The spiked ball sways from side to side, and a shark fin circles around it.

"Sam, get this one and we at least tie with the Maggots!" Anne Maria shouts.

"But there's a shark around it! What if it chases us?" Sam says.

"Coming through!" Dakota flies by in a small speedboat. She stops near Fang and tips some mush from her bucket into the water. The fin moves away from the buoy. Dakota keeps pouring mush as she backs up the boat. "Here, sharky shark!"

"Thanks Dakota, you're a lifesaver!" Sam says.

"I'm just doing my job, " Dakota says, her cheeks pink.

"Shoot the bell before they do!" Jo yells.

"I'm aiming..." Scott squints into the sight. "Aiming..." Sam's seagull hits the bell. The Rats cheer as the buoy explodes and sends smoke into the air.

Jo narrows her eyes. "I'm taking charge now. Lightning, stop the boat!"

"What? Why?" Lightning asks.

"Turns out our rat shooter doesn't know how to shoot." Jo swims to the boat and climbs up. She throws her ski into Scott, who falls with a grunt. "I'll be taking his place now."

"At least he was trying. You just wanna be in charge all the time, don't you?" Lightning says.

"I have a question for _you_, Jockstrap. Do you want to lose this challenge?"

"We could win it without you. We did last time."

Jo leans in toward his face and says softly, "Or, get booted out of my alliance?"

Lightning opens his mouth, then shuts it.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"Remind me why Lightning got into an alliance with her," Lightning says. "Oh wait, he remembers. The million dollars in cold, hard cash."

* * *

"Time to take out their driver." Jo tilts the cannon toward Zoey and fires. The skiers yelp as the seagull flies past them, beak sinking into Zoey's back.

Zoey jerks forward. "Gah!" Her eyes flutter shut, and she falls on top of the wheel.

"Oh no!" Dawn says. The Rats scream as the dinghy veers violently from side to side.

Svetlana gasps, the twinkle disappearing from her eyes. "Huh?" Mike looks at his feet. He falls over the side of the ski.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"I was- water skiing?" Mike says. "...No, it must've been one of my personalities doing it. Probably Svetlana." He squeezes his eyes shut and rests his head against the wall. He bangs on it twice. "I just had to jinx it."

* * *

The boat sails ahead of the dinghy. Scott growls under his breath as he lies on his ski.

Mike drags himself onto his ski and looks behind him. His gaze comes into focus, and he gasps. "Zoey!"

Lightning twists his head toward Jo. "What'd you do that for? She's our former teammate!"

"So?" Jo says. "She's not on our side anymore. Keep facing forward!"

He turns back to the wheel. "What'd Zoey ever do to you?"

"It's not about Red," Jo scoffs. "It's about strategy. Look, we're way ahead now."

Sam staggers to the wheel and places Zoey on the floor. He seizes the wheel, and the dinghy starts moving straight. Brick and Anne Maria lie limp on their skis, still holding the handle. Dawn is sprawled across Brick's back.

"We need someone to take my place as gunner!" Sam says. "Any takers? Guys?"

A drenched Cameron clings to Mike's back. His glasses are covered in water droplets. "Mike, are you having trouble with your ski? I'll switch to Scott if you want."

Mike jumps as Cameron speaks. "Cameron, you scared me! I forgot you were there." Cameron sighs. "Yeah, I think you're better off with Scott." He turns his head to Scott. "Scott! Do you think you could carry Cameron?"

"Ugh, do I have to?" Scott mutters.

"What was that?" Mike says.

"Uh, I said sure, if I have to," Scott says. Cameron's eyebrows lift slightly.

"Buoy up ahead, Jo," Lightning says.

"Here we go." Jo leans toward the sight and adjusts the cannon. She fires a gull at the bell. **BOOM!** Smoke billows into the sky.

Jo smirks. "_That_ is how you use a gull cannon."

The Rats' dinghy drifts far behind the Maggots' boat. "Guys, wake up!" Sam says. "We'll win this challenge if we get the next buoy!"

Brick gives his head a vigorous shake and blinks several times. "You're right, soldier. I'll take the cannon. It'll be just like shooting practice at Cadets. Anne Maria, you'll have to carry Dawn."

Anne Maria rolls her eyes. "Whateva, as long as we win."

Scott now has Cameron on his back. He stretches his lips into a frown and lowers his eyelids a bit. "Cameron, Mike, I have to tell you something important."

"What is it?" Mike says, noticing his expression.

"Well, you see...I heard Jo and Lightning say they were gonna vote you off, one after another."

Mike lifts his eyebrows, creating curved crevices in his forehead. "Lightning's aligned with Jo? I thought they hated each other!"

"That's just a cover," Scott says. "Aren't you surprised too, Cameron? I sure was."

"I...I guess," Cameron says.

"Look, I say we stop those two jocks before they vote us all out," Scott says. "We can form an alliance ourselves! If you want to, of course."

Mike nods. "Sure, why-"

"We'll think about it," Cameron says. Mike and Scott stare at him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"When Jo took charge of the cannon, I got the perfect opportunity to create an alliance with those two losers against Lightning," Scott says. "Yup, I totally planned that. I can't let Jo and Lightning see me hanging out with Mike and Cameron, or in reverse. That's easy enough. Only real problem is, Cameron is hesitant to join me. If he gets too smart for his own good, I might have to eliminate him before Jo."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I'm pretty good at telling when someone is lying," Cameron says, "and Scott's a pretty bad liar." He hunches over and rubs his chin, a distant look in his eyes.

* * *

"How far away is this last buoy?" Lightning asks. The boat is surrounded by water with nothing else in sight.

"Chris must've put it far out as a race to the finish," Jo says. "Not that this is much of a race."

Lightning takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Jo, I'm sorry I thought you were a guy."

Jo stiffens. "I didn't care before, and I don't care now."

"I know we were both embarrassed. You were probably more embarrassed than I am, and I feel guilty for calling you a guy_ repeatedly_ without figuring out the truth." He sighs. "I did the same thing once with a girl named Eva in my school, except that she mauled me each time I forgot. She's literally built like a football player! Sorry, off track. Anyway, the point is that I've done this before, and I feel no better about it than last time."

"I should beat you up too," Jo mutters.

"What?"

"Nothing."

A pulsing rumble enters the air. "Uh, is it just Lightning or did our engine grow louder?" Lightning says.

"Get _away_ from me, you big bully!" Dakota shouts behind them. Her boat passes by, one of its ends missing. Fang swims right behind it as Dakota swipes at him with her bucket.

Fang pauses and turns toward the skiers. He smiles toothily. Cameron squeaks.

"YOU!" Scott shouts. "Back for more, huh? I'll show you who's boss!" Fang hurtles toward him. "Uh, maybe not. AHHHHH!"

Fang opens his jaws wide and knocks Mike and Cameron out of the way. Mike's shirt snags on one of Fang's teeth and rips away from his torso.

Mike gasps. His eyelids relax, and he pats his hair. "Slicked back already? Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"

As Scott paddles in between Fang's open jaws, Vito climbs into the boat and saunters up to Lightning. "Ey yo, you and I had some unfinished business."

Lightning narrows his eyes. "Get back on your ski. We're in the middle of a challenge."

"Oh yeah?" Vito jerks his thumb at Scott. "How 'bout that flailin' losah over there? He ain't gettin' back on his ski."

"Scott's my _friend_. This is my least favorite character of yours," Lightning says between his teeth.

"Least favorite, eh?" Vito grins. "Hm, I'm honored. Now fight me already. Or are ya afraid I'll win?"

"Cut it out."

"You're afraid of fighting me in front of this hot chick, aren't ya?" Vito scrutinizes Jo's face up close. "Ah, neva mind, she's hideous."

Lightning and Jo glance at each other, then assume battle stances. Both their knees are bent, fists up. Vito laughs. "A'ight, let's rumble!"

They tackle Vito.

Zoey's eyes open up to slits as she lies in the Rats' dinghy. "Huh?" Her voice is slurred. "Where am I?"

"Why do unconscious people always say that when they wake up? We're still in the challenge," Sam says. "Jo shot you with one of her team's mutant seagulls."

"Seriously?" Zoey stretches her back and jolts. "Ow! I can feel where it hit."

"Yeah, I'd recommend not moving." Sam squints ahead. "Hey, we've caught up with the Maggots somehow!"

The speedboat is going in a wide circle. Vito's arms shake as he pushes against Lightning and Jo on either side. He topples under them a moment later. Scott's screaming is muffled from inside Fang. Cameron hangs on top of a ski, his eyes shut ("This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream").

The dinghy drives around the area. "See ya later, Jo!" Brick laughs.

Jo jumps up and runs to the edge of the boat, her mouth hanging at the hinges.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick crosses his arms and leans back, eyes half-closed. "Ahhh. That was satisfying."

* * *

"There it is!" Dawn shouts. The final buoy approaches the dinghy up ahead.

"Sam, you do the honors," Brick says.

"Really? Wow, I get to do the first strike AND fatal blow!"

Sam and Brick switch places. "Um, wouldn't it be last strike or somethin' like that?" Anne Maria says.

Sam gasps. "Anne Maria, you're a genius! I know what this challenge is like now, Major League Baseball 2010! Three strikes and the Maggots are out!"

"It could also just be Major League Baseball, or just baseball," Zoey says.

"Nah, there aren't any games with those titles." Sam aims the cannon and shoots a seagull at the buoy. It rings the bell, and the buoy explodes with a final **BOOM!**

Chris and Chef arrive at the scene in a speedboat. "Congratulations Rats!" Chris says. "You are the winners of today's water ski challenge! Although the Maggots make much better reality stars. You guys are just boring."

The Rats form identical scowls. "Thanks," Anne Maria says.

"Come on, troops! We won, let's celebrate our team effort!" Brick says. He is answered by numerous cheers.

"Nice driving, Zoey and Sam," Dawn says.

"Thanks," Zoey and Sam say at the same time.

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

Cameron, Mike, and Scott sit on their beds while Lightning occupies the bathroom. Scott hugs his legs and rocks back and forth. "I saw the inside of that shark's mouth," he whispers.

"So that's what can trigger galeophobia," Cameron murmurs, reaching under his blanket. He feels around for a moment and pauses. "Huh, I swear my notepad was under here." Scott stops rocking.

"Haven't seen it Cameron," Mike says. "I hope it shows up. I'd hate to lose my necklace." He reaches under his pillow and blinks, then rummages deeper. He lifts the pillow and gasps. "Where'd it go?"

The door to the bathroom opens. Lightning steps out with a robe and sneakers on. A towel covers his head like a turban. His face shows no sign of emotion except in his eyes, which gleam as they stare at Mike for a moment. He strides to the other end of the room and slams the door behind him.

Scott smirks. "Touchy, huh?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike rubs his hands over his face. "I did it again. I don't even know what I did, but I did it. I really hoped to get along with everyone on my team, but my disorder makes that impossible."

* * *

The front lamps of the cabins illuminate the camp in the middle of darkness. Mike walks down the steps of the cabin while looking around. Zoey does the same from the other cabin. Mike sees her, smiles, and waves.

Zoey squints ahead and smiles, putting a hand up. She and Mike walk to each other, meeting in the middle of the cabins.

"I've missed you," Mike says. Zoey opens her mouth. "Sorry, I'm not forcing you to answer that awkward greeting. Here's a better one. Haven't seen you in a while, how's your new team?"

Zoey laughs. "It's great. My new team is great. Oh yeah, and I miss you too. And how have you been?"

Mike's smile tightens. "I've been fine. I'm more concerned about you though. How's your back holding up?"

"Well, I got it patched up, and I'm good to go now."

"That's good." Mike looks up at the sky.

Zoey peers at his face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Positive. I did lose my necklace though, but it'll turn up eventually, I hope. There's a lot of stars out right now."

Zoey looks up. "And there's a full moon."

"Looks more like a gibbous to me."

"I'm not arguing with that. We both know what happened when I said the Total Warriors sequel is better than Total Warriors."

Mike chuckles and brings down his eyes to her. "About that- I was lying. I think the sequel is actually better."

"What? Wait a second, does that mean you secretly think the moon is full?"

Mike flashes the gap in his teeth. "Maybe, maybe not."

Zoey lets out a sound between a huff and a laugh. "Okay, then let's meet again tomorrow night, right here. We'll look at the moon, and if you think it looks more like a gibbous, that means this moon was a full moon."

"The moon doesn't always change in one day," Mike says. "But I'll come."

"If you don't come, consider this argument never settled. It will be an argument that you never won."

"Alright, I'm not _that_ argumentative."

"See? You're arguing." Zoey grins. "And with that, I bid you good night."

"Good night, Zoey," Mike says. They walk back to their cabins, and wave to each other on the steps. As both of them turn away, their smiles dissolve.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey looks down at her knees. She stays that way for several seconds before lifting her head. "I miss Mike more than I thought."

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

When Mike enters the males' bedroom, Scott is standing in the middle with a gold necklace in his hand. He holds it out to Mike. "Is this yours?"

A grin pops up on Mike's face. "Yeah!" He retrieves it and stares at it in his palm. "Wow, Scott, thanks for finding it!"

"No problem. I found Cameron's notepad too." His voice is low, with little inflection.

Mike looks up. "Something wrong?"

Scott glances at him and darts his eyes away. "Nothing, just that...okay, you guys deserve to know. I found both of you guys' belongings under Lightning's pillow. And more."

"_What_?" Mike says. "He stole them from us?" Cameron's eyebrows draw towards each other.

"Yeah, I even found my shark tooth there." Scott takes out a whistle from his pocket. "I have to give this to Jo now."

He exits the cabin.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

Scott holds up Cameron's notepad to the camera. "I'm nothing if not thorough. I have a way of ensuring Cameron's trust AND making Lightning look despicable. And I must say, Cameron has quite a few notes here..." He flips through the notepad. "A lot about the island's mutant animals, and- Mike?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike releases a breeze of air. "I try to grasp whatever memories I can, I really do. But there's only fragments of them about Scott that are confusing the heck out of me, and I'm having such trouble putting all the pieces together. I feel like I should be suspicious of him, but I don't remember any big reason why."

* * *

The Maggots sit near the campfire, which pops and crackles in the space of silence.

"Well, Maggots, I must say- today was your worst performance yet," Chris says. He and Chef burst into cackles.

"Shut up!" Jo and Lightning shout.

"Okay, sheesh," Chris says. "But a word of advice- try getting along if you don't want to end up back here again. The following people are safe."

"Scott." Scott gives a lighthearted smile and stands up.

"Cameron. Congrats on not getting eliminated right away by your new teammates."

"Thank you," Cameron says.

"Jo."

Lightning leaps to his feet. "Wait, why is Lightning on the chopping block? Mike's the one who ruined the challenge for us!"

Jo lifts the whistle around her neck, eyes narrowed to slits. "Because of this."

"What? What does your whistle got to do w-"

"I'm tired of being interrupted here!" Chris yells. Lightning lowers himself into his seat. Chris sighs. "The Maggot who's leaving tonight is..._Lightning_."

Lightning stands. "You cannot be serious. This is an outrage! Lightning does not deserve to go home. This is ridiculous!"

As Lightning shouts, Chris turns to Chef. "Chef?" Chef sprints toward Lightning and tucks him under his arm like a football, effectively muffling Lightning's shouts as he is dragged away.

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Lightning's limbs dangle out of the catapult. "Any last words you want to say to your teammates, Lightning?" Chris asks.

"Yeah, I'll address each and every one of them." Lightning clears his throat. "_Mike_\- AHHHHHHHHhhhhh!" He flails through the sky.

"Sorry, ain't nobody got time for that!" Chris says. He grins. "Just shows you how hip I am, eh? Who will be launched on this beauty of a catapult next? Find out next time, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"Well, Mike, if there's one thing I learned from you, it's that I can't stand method actors. I gave you a chance to redeem yourself, and you proved that I shouldn't have. Goodbye."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Lightning, you stole the first present my adoptive parents ever gave to me. I may have done things to you that I may never know about, but that necklace means more to me than_ you_ will ever know."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I don't believe Scott. I am ninty-nine percent sure that he stole everyone's belongings. But Mike lost today's challenge for us. I'm sorry Mike, I know it's not your fault, but you need to get home and away from all this stress."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: JO

"My whistle belonged to my grandfather before he gave it to me. He inspired me to become an athlete and stand up to all my brothers. Lightning, you had the decency to apologize for seeing me topless, but I will never forgive you for taking my whistle."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Sayonara, Mr. Football. Nice to eliminate you."

* * *

NOTE: This is the chapter I had the most fun writing so far, I'll say that. The story of this chapter just kept unfolding in my mind, inspiring me to even write all these vote confessionals! I felt that they needed to be here to show the value that Mike and Jo placed on their belongings (and further justify their voting Lightning off). The reason I had the contestants lie on their stomachs on their skis is because it is likely that most contestants on a reality show don't know how to water ski. If they had two skis,_ maybe_ they would have succeeded within several tries. With one ski, failure is inevitable. Unless you're Jo. Review, everyone! It is the greatest gift you can give me as an author of fanfiction.


	11. Runaway Model (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I have two big announcements to make, both of which are more important than anything else I have announced up here, so listen up folks!

Remember when I mentioned that I would be making two "switcheroos" in the canon's order of the episodes? Yeah, I didn't either. That is, until I realized I was nearly at one already. Next episode will NOT be "A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste", but "The Treasure Island of Dr. McLean". Reason being that I feel like the challenge that determines who reaches the merge should be a dramatic one, and the mine challenge gave off a more dramatic atmosphere in the canon.

I have recently closed the Jock poll, but there is a new poll in its place! The next episode has up to two slots for cameos (first-generation character appearances for those who don't know) open, so readers may vote for certain characters to fill in these slots. Because every voter has two votes, the votes can be used for two of your favorite characters or a romantic/friendly pair. Or just one of your favorite characters, anything goes. Be warned, I cannot guarantee that I will put the most popular character(s) in the episode. The poll will influence my choice, however. Oh yes, and not all the first-generation characters are included in the poll. One can guess why...

Wish Star: Based on several points in your review, I wanted to reply right away. I'm glad you approve of how I integrated your flash idea, I wasn't sure if you would like it. The pervert idea is a good one, but it would've only affected Jo, not the others, and Scott knew Cameron was not fully convinced to vote off Lightning. The reason I'm writing this story is to correct all the things I thought the canon season did wrong, and I thought Scott's original idea to steal everyone's belongings was brilliant, so I included it. That is my personal goal, but I apologize for it conflicting with your request to change things up. I am aiming to create a new and improved TDROTI, not my own completely different version. Therefore, my remake is heavily-based on the canon season. I should have clarified that in the story description earlier. I'm sorry you translated my last reply as I am going to do Jock no matter what, because that was not what I meant. I was saying that I was going to either have Brick paired up with someone else in a TDAS remake (and **never** pair him with Jo), or have him paired up with Jo in this remake. If I am to be honest, which I feel your review calls for, I do not wish to pair Jo and Brick together. I will only change that if a lot more people want Jock on my poll than not, and the votes for "Yes" and "No" are pretty tied. I did not realize that Jock was such a controversial couple! I am sorry I gave you this super long paragraph to read, I hope that I have cleared any uncertainties.

P.S. I also said at the beginning that all the challenges would be the same, but I decided to alter the one in this episode. Somehow, I think dressing actual people is more interesting than dressing mutant animals. *shrugs* So yeah, the episode title does not really fit this episode.

**Warning**: This chapter will contain much slang, dropped n's, running from scene to scene, and a single flashback.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Brick, Anne Maria, Sam, Dawn, Zoey

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Scott, Jo, Mike, Cameron

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning

**RECAP**

Chris and Chef stand together on the Dock of Shame. Chef is holding a videogame console near his face, eyes darting back and forth on it. Beeps of various pitches sound frequently. "Previously on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: The campers got deep with an underwater scavenger hunt. Many sparks flew, with quite a few coming from Mike and his personalities. Lightning apologized to Jo for seeing her in her- _private_ moment, but was tossed out anyway for swiping everyone's stuff. Even though it was really Scott. Sneaky! But someone's onto him, a.k.a. our favorite bubble boy. Will relationships form between our lovey-dovey competitors? And will the Maggots man up before they're another man down? Let's hope not! There's nothing more entertaining than a man down."

**CRASH! **Chef falls through the dock with a shout.

"Heheheh," Chris chuckles. "More where that came from, right now on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**TOXIC RATS' CABIN**

Each of the girls on the team stands in front of a sink in the bathroom, looking at a mirror. Dawn pulls a brush from her part to the ends of her hair on both sides. She purses her lips slightly and brushes her part backward, then brings strands in front of her face. Zoey leans toward the mirror as she pulls her pigtails down, up, and to the sides. She straightens her back, taps her flower pin, and smiles.

_Sssssh_. Dawn and Zoey turn to Anne Maria, whose arm waves around spraying her hair. The hairspray fumes drift in a cloud to the other girls, who cough and gag.

Zoey bats at the air while bending over from the fumes. "Any chance you could try using less of that stuff?" Her voice comes out in a creaky whisper.

"Not a chance, redhead. I figured out the formula- I need to use this much to make my hair look_ this_ good." Anne Maria flicks the poof of her hair, which shines like plastic. She turns her dark eyes on Zoey, lips twisted to one side. "And I wouldn't take any advice from you on hair."

Zoey raises a hand to her scalp. "Why? Are my roots showing?"

Anne Maria snickers. "Now that ya mention it, yeah, your hair looks like a tomato rottin' at the top. Puttin' it in pigtails doesn't help those roots either. Combine all that with the dorky flower clip, and you look like a little girl with a botched dye job." Zoey's face has gone a light shade of crimson.

"That's enough!" Dawn shouts, swinging her brush to the side. The others blink at her. "Anne Maria, you are much better than this. What's been going on lately?"

Anne Maria lets out a high bark of laughter. "I shouldn't need to_ tell_ ya! Aren't ya supposed to be able to read other people's emotions? I guess not! You can side with Zoey, I don't give a crap. Just leave me alone." She shoves the door open and strides out.

Dawn looks at Zoey as she fingers one of her pigtails, staring into the mirror. Her eyebrows draw lower over her eyes, and she tugs at her elastic.

Dawn touches her hand. "Don't."

Zoey pulls away the elastic, her hair falling around her shoulders. She takes out the other with greater force, yanks the flower out of her hair, and stuffs the accessories in her pocket. She turns away from Dawn and walks to the door, head inclined.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Anne Maria is hurting herself and Zoey," Dawn says. "The sad thing is, I can see them becoming great friends in the future if only Anne Maria let go of her insecurities. They have more in common than either of them know. But then, mediation is about more than understanding other people's emotions, it's helping them overcome their emotions. And I'm not sure I'm so good at that."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey smiles as she looks down at her hands. "Well, I'm glad Anne Maria was honest with me. I'd rather have people insult me to my face than behind my back. She made me realize I'm not doing as well a job of fitting in as I-" she sniffs- "as I thought."

* * *

Dawn steps out of the cabin into the sunlight. She tilts her head toward the sky and takes a deep breath in, her eyes closed.

She walks to the woods, where a figure is moving ahead of her into the trees. "Cameron!" she shouts.

Cameron turns around. "Oh, hi Dawn."

"Good morning." They approach each other on the path. "Your aura is a bright orange. What are you so anxious about?"

Cameron slides his hands into his sweatshirt pocket. "I'm just worried about how our team will be now that Lightning's gone."

Dawn blinks. "Your team eliminated Lightning last night? Why?"

"He 'stole' everyone's stuff, including my notepad, even though it was actually Scott. I know it." He gives a sharp jerk of his head. "Scott only made it look like it was him. And he must've wanted to get Lightning out for a reason, but I'm not sure why."

"If you knew it was really Scott, why didn't you expose him before Lightning got booted?"

Cameron holds Dawn's gaze. "Honestly, I don't think anyone would have believed me, not even Lightning. I also need to keep attention off me so I can meet you at the merge."

_The camera view switches to an event that happened two days ago. In the middle of a clearing, Dawn sits on a stump surrounded by naked squirrels, giant beavers, three-eyed bears, maggots large as dogs, and other animals of interest. A gentle smile lies on her face as she gives an acorn to a squirrel, falling slightly when it tosses the acorn and swallows another squirrel whole in front of her. It returns when a bird with three eyes lands on her shoulder and gives her cheek an affectionate lick._

_Cameron stands far away from the gathering as he scribbles on his notepad. Dawn turns her head to him. "These animals aren't that different from normal animals, you know. You don't need to take notes on them."_

_He looks up. "It's more than just that. I'm working on possible cures."_

_"Really?"_

_Cameron gives her a comfortable smile. "Really." A silent pause. Dawn takes another acorn from beside her. "How's life for you back home? If you don't mind me asking. In fact, how's school for you?"_

_The acorn slips from Dawn's hand into the grass. "What?...oh. I don't go to school anymore. I get home-schooled."_

_"Oh." His shoulders drop. "Sorry for surprising you, I'm not the best with smooth communication. I've never attended a school before, that's why I asked."_

_Dawn's lips curl, her blue eyes alight. "I understand. You wish you_ _weren't_ _home-schooled, which strikes me as ironic. I wouldn't go back if my mom decided to let me_."

_"Why not?"_

_The bird on Dawn's shoulder hops onto her finger. She stares at it. "That's a story for another time." After a quiet moment, Cameron does a small nod and returns to his notes. A maggot crawls up Dawn's leg, and she giggles. Helping it up onto her lap, she begins to stroke it._

_Soon, Dawn lifts her head. "Cameron, I have an idea, if you're interested. Why don't we try to last until the merge, and then form an alliance?"_

_His writing hand freezes._

The camera reverts to show Dawn and Cameron standing. "Well, I suppose we can try to expand our alliance and vote Scott off after the merge," Dawn says.

"But I don't want a person like him to even make it to the merge. I'd rather err on the safe side, wouldn't you?"

"Like you said, if you try to expose him, he might target you next."

"Then I'll just have to tread with caution."

Dawn gives a quick nibble to her lower lip. "The future can go in many different directions. Maybe if your team wins all the challenges up to the merge, you won't have to worry about Scott."

"We both know that's unlikely, but that would be nice."

* * *

Chris's voice blares through a loudspeaker pole. "Challenge time, campers! Meet me on the other side of the island!"

The camera skips over to the campers reaching a large stage area. The teams separate to each of the low-lying bleachers. Jo goes to the top row while the rest of her teammates sit at the bottom. On the adjacent bleacher, Anne Maria imitates Jo. Dawn seats herself next to her, but Anne Maria huffs and slides away.

Chris descends from the top of the stage in a jet pack. He lands lightly, and Chef comes up behind him in a magenta princess costume. Chef takes Chris's jet pack off and struts behind the curtains.

Chris spreads his arms out wide. "Welcome to your challenge: the Fast and Fabulous Fashion Spectacular!"

"Fashion? Now you're talkin'!" Anne Maria says.

Jo waves a hand. "Eh, fashion. Waste of time."

Anne Maria turns to Jo across the bleachers. "So says the girl in men's prison sweats."

"You shut it, Tan in a Can!"

"Oh no, NO ONE insults th-" **HONKKKKKK! **The campers clap their hands over their ears.

Chris lowers his air horn and brings out a dainty pink fan, fanning his face. "No cat fights allowed on the catwalk! Here's how it's going to work: each team gets a wardrobe of clothes, a makeup kit, and thirty minutes to dress and makeup a model. Which you'll send down the runway to be judged by myself, Chef, and today's Total Drama classic competitor, Lindsay!"

A suitcase pops open on stage, and Lindsay springs out, her smile like one out of a toothpaste commercial. Male and female contestants alike stare at her with their jaws hanging slightly.

"She's hot," Scott murmurs.

"She's taken," Mike says, concentrating on Zoey.

"Yay! Don't you just love my new special fashion judge-y shoes?" Lindsay lifts one foot in the air, covered by a turquoise boot with stitched-in stars.

"Wow, we get to dress an actual model!" Zoey says.

"Well, one of our models technically _isn't_ a model," Chris says. "Say hello to the bodacious beauty that is: Leshawna!"

Leshawna walks out from behind the curtains, wearing a good-natured grin. "Really, Chris, I don't get why you're having me model and Lindsay judge. She'd enjoy this spot more than I would. Not that I mind struttin' my stuff, of course."

"Lindsay knows fashion like no other- except me," Chris replies. "Next up, he's tan, he's buff, he's another Total Drama classic competitor AND an actual supermodel: Justin!"

Justin slides to the center of the stage, shaggy black hair falling neatly into place. He shows his radiant, effortless grin to the audience. All the campers are immobilized again, but Leshawna and Lindsay glance at him before looking around the stage.

Anne Maria gives her head a shake. "What happened to that guy Alejandro? He's way hotter, no offense." Justin's grin falters for a second, and his blue eyes darken as they focus on her.

"Do you have _eyes_?" Jo says, staring at Justin. Anne Maria laughs and tries to close her mouth, but ends up snickering.

"Sorry James, after seeing Angelo, you just don't seem as hot anymore. My Tyler's the hottest one of all though!" Lindsay waves to the camera. "Hi Tyler!"

"We would've had Al in Justin's place right now, but he's pretty messed up after last season," Chris says.

Justin covers his ears. "Stop! I don't want to hear any more about Alejandro!"

"Justin has a point, we should get back on track," Chris says. "Anyway, Justin goes to the Maggots, and Leshawna goes to the Rats. Remember, I want to see the best you campers can do with your models in half an hour! Starting...now!" He blows his air horn, and the campers run up to the stage.

"How much will we be able to do in that amount of time?" Mike asks his team.

"Prob'ly not a lot," Scott says. "But we hardly need to do anything. I mean, look at the guy, he's a stud."

Jo surmounts the steps first and lifts the curtain aside. She looks at Justin and jerks her head toward the opening. "In here, pretty boy." Justin and the Maggots pour into backstage.

The Rats also head behind the curtains, spreading out in their area as Zoey walks with Leshawna to a vanity framed by light bulbs. Leshawna places her hands on her hips. "I know this vanity, it's the same one from our confessionals on Season Two. Still using the same props, as expected."

"I think it's cool how it's like a relic of Total Drama," Zoey says as she and Leshawna peer into the mirror. "But I'm a newbie anyway. That's why it's awesome meeting you and the other original contestants!"

Leshawna's smile makes her eyes squint. "Aw, thanks sugar. Just being me, that's all."

The rest of the Rats search the numerous racks of clothing scattered between opened boxes. Dawn stands a distance away from the racks, holding a fist to her head as she studies the prolific colors and textures. "We have to try to appeal to the judge's tastes. Chris and Lindsay both seem like trendy people, I think. As for Chef, um, I don't know."

"He dresses like a cook," Sam says, one side of his mouth smiling more than the other. Dawn lets out a small giggle.

Brick straightens. "Leave the fashion to me, Dawn. I may not look like it, but I have full knowledge of dressing up."

"You're right about not looking the part," Anne Maria says, scanning him up and down. "But whateva. I'll handle the makeup!" She dashes toward Zoey and Leshawna.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA

"Backstage is my playground, baby!" Anne Maria says. "I could rock this challenge all by myself, oh yeah. But I don't really care for all that leadership stuff, I'll leave that to Brick. If he picks out a horrible outfit, though, you betcha I'm gonna step in."

* * *

The Maggots spread out toward the clothing racks. Justin walks over to the vanity and assumes a superhero position, fists on his hips and feet apart. "Anyone want to be fashion director? 'Cause it's not gonna be me," Jo says.

Cameron raises his hand from behind a rack obscuring his face. "I'll be it if no one else wants to."

"If you say so, Twinkie. Better you lead this challenge than any of the physical ones."

Cameron gets a pinched look in his eye. Scott walks over to him and places one hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Jo, it's ignorant to just judge him based on his looks. I bet Cameron can do anything he sets his mind to." Mike looks at them several racks away, gaze lingering for a beat.

Jo snorts. "Yeah, anything that isn't taller than him. Fashion is much more within his limit."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I'm not appreciating the jabs Jo keeps taking at me," Cameron says. "She calls me a pastry, then confines my worth in challenges to fashion? No, not appreciating it."

* * *

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but who are you closest to from Total Drama? I'm guessing Gwen?" Zoey says. Leshawna, now sitting on the stool, opens her mouth.

Anne Maria steps in between them. "You're Laissa, right? Hi. I haven't watched too much Total Drama, but I remember you bein' there. Anyways, I'll be doin' your makeup."

Leshawna tucks in her chin, staring at Anne Maria's painted face through inscrutable dark eyes. "It's Leshawna, hon. And I put on makeup before I came here."

"Oh, but I think you could use a little gold eyeshadow, to brighten those eyes," Anne Maria says. "Then I'll line 'em black to add definition. Can't forget the primer though, they bettah have MAC here. I suppose I'll add some bronze in your crease area and silver in your inner corners, maybe a dustin' of glitter to spice things up. You definitely need concealer under your eyes, but beauty marks are in right now, so need to worry about coverin' that big mole." Leshawna's eyebrows rise further up her forehead. "I'll have to prime your skin first, put the concealer over it, and then apply dewy foundation, but not TOO dewy or it'll look oily. Pink lipstick will do you a lotta good too, maybe bubblegum pink. Now, about blush-"

"Anne Maria, I don't think we have time for all that," Zoey says.

"I don't remember askin' your opinion," Anne Maria snaps. "Like I was sayin'-"

"Whoa, hold up," Leshawna says. "What were you gettin' all up in her face for, girl? Besides, she's right, we ain't got all day."

"Yeah yeah, don't worry about it, I can do a smokin' hot makeup job in five minutes. Now let's see here..." Anne Maria sorts through the small pile of eyeshadows, blushes, and other powders on the counter. "This ain't enough. Time to check the boxes and drawers!"

On the Maggots' side, Cameron stands beside a box buried under a pile of clothes. "If you guys see anything that catches your eye, no matter how bizarre, take it out," he shouts. "We're just brainstorming right now."

Jo comes over with a black pair of sweatpants resembling her own and drops them on the pile. "Well, we're gonna have to decide on an outfit real soon, better not spend much time making clutter."

"I'm sure that once we agree on an idea, the rest of the ensemble will come together quickly."

Scott walks to the pair and places denim overalls over Jo's sweatpants. "Cameron's right, you know. We don't even have to do any makeup."

"I disagree," Justin says nearby, making the three campers jump. "I always need a dusting of matte luminescent pressed powder so that my face doesn't look shiny on camera but still retains its youthful glow. But my makeup artist put that on me before I came, so yeah, I guess you're good."

Mike jogs to the group with a red and white striped thermal shirt tucked under his arm. "What are we all gathered here for?"

Cameron eyes the shirt. "Mike, are you by chance thinking of a red and white theme? I saw the bobble hat you brought a minute ago."

"I don't really like bobble hats," Justin murmurs. "I much prefer berets."

"Actually, uh, I was thinking of a Wally theme," Mike says. "You know, Where's Wally? Those books where you have to find him in a sea of people?"

"Nope," Jo says.

"Never heard of them," Scott says.

"I vaguely know what you're talking about," Cameron says. "I feel like Chris and Lindsay would appreciate a beret more though. I have no clue about Chef, honestly."

"His idea isn't the only one here," Jo scoffs. "What about my gym trainer outfit?"

Justin's forehead wrinkles. "Gym trainer?"

"Not your place to offer commentary, Knockout."

"I agree with Justin," Scott says, giving Jo a bland smile when she scowls at him. "We have to decide on something quick, and red and white seem like Justin's colors."

Chris peeks his head through the curtains. "Fifteen minutes left, teams!"

"I approve of Mike's idea too, which makes the majority of us," Cameron says. "I'll see if I can find a red and white beret. Jo, you can look for light blue jeans. Scott, keep an eye out for white sneakers."

Jo's eyebrows lift a fraction. "Seems like you really know your fashion, Bean Sprout."

Cameron barely raises his shoulders. "It's basic color agreement."

"Is there anything I can do?" Mike asks.

"Uh, hmm... you can help one of us if you want."

Mike gives a curt nod. "Sure. I'll just go with you."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Maybe it wasn't so smart of me to eliminate Jockstrap," Jo says. "I don't think Pencil Neck or the 'Impressions Master' are gonna vote for me if we lose, but I'm stuck with Farm Boy as my only ally going into the merge, and calling him a powerhouse of any sort is laughable. God, I really gotta think ahead."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"I can't believe no one even brought up my farmer idea," Scott says, crossing his arms against his chest. "Whatever. All the sucking up will be worth it when I vote off Jo."

* * *

Brick stoops in front of a rack, holding a glittery sea green tube dress by its hanger. He swings it back and forth until Dawn runs toward him, a pair of black flats balanced on her hands. "I found shoes!"

Brick presses his lips together. "Dawn... those shoes don't really match the dress. Some sort of casual heel would be best."

"Oh, okay. I'll find black heels."

"I mean, the color doesn't match the dress either."

"But I thought black goes with everything."

"Well, you can never go_ wrong_ with black, but we're looking for shoes that are simple, yet fun. A lighter color, basically."

Dawn's eyebrows scrunch toward the middle of her forehead. "Gray? Purple?"

"Think honeydew green."

"Honeydew green, okay." Dawn walks back to the racks, rubbing her temples in a circular motion. "Honeydew..."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Fashion is not my area of expertise," Dawn says. She looks down and pulls at her sweater. "What color is this? Watermelon rind green?"

* * *

"I found a jacket we could use," Sam says, lifting a silver jacket as long as a cape open for Brick.

Brick's eyes sweep over it. "Wow, where'd you locate that? It's too long for the dress we chose though."

Sam slumps. "Darn it. I could really use Dakota's help right about now. Hey, maybe I can go get her and she can help us!"

Brick pats his back. "Fine idea, soldier. Just try to find her quickly." Sam ducks out of the curtain in a flash.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"It's a necessary thing to dress up sometimes," Brick says. "It's not like I like it, I'm just helping my teammates with the limited knowledge I have! Yeah, that's all."

* * *

Cameron and Mike riffle through boxes side by side. Whereas Cameron only bends his knees slightly to reach inside the boxes, Mike sits on his legs.

"Chris should really get a hat rack," Mike mutters, laying a plaid beret next to several other hats on the floor.

Cameron pulls his arms out of a box and nods. "That would be preferable for us. Maybe he has a fetish for boxes." Mike laughs, and Cameron blinks at him. "What? What is it?"

"Didn't you just crack a joke?" Mike says, eyes squinting from laughter.

"I did? Huh. I just said 'fetish'." Cameron forms a lopsided smile. "That is a funny word though."

Mike moves to another box and sits beside it. He pushes his arm inside, rummages through it, and yanks out a black hat. "A fedora! I've always wanted one of these." He puts it on his head and adjusts it. "How do I look?"

Cameron arches an eyebrow, his lips twitching. "Ravishing."

Mike gasps. He squints as though he is in deep concentration, one corner of his mouth curling toward his cheek.

Cameron stares at him. "Uhhh, Mike, are you okay?"

Mike releases his smirk and aims one leering eye at Cameron. "Mike? Who's Mike? The name's Manitoba Smith." His voice is slow, deliberate, and affected by an Australian accent.

"Oh dear."

A thick, fluffy brush sweeps across the top of Leshawna's cheeks, leaving artificial warm radiance in its wake. Her eyelids are a burnished gold and black kohl frames her eyes, giving her the semblance of an Egyptian queen. She smacks her clear-glossed lips together and looks up at Anne Maria, who has withdrawn the brush. "Are you done yet?"

Anne Maria's forehead creases. "Yep. Is it good?"

Leshawna turns around on her stool and faces the mirror. She opens her mouth and leans forward, eyes wandering over her face. "Oh wow," she breathes. "You really know your way around makeup, girl."

"I work at my cousin's salon, of course I know my way around makeup," Anne Maria says, wearing a satisfied smile nonetheless. Zoey stands on the other side of Leshawna, hand clasped behind her back.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I wish Anne Maria had let me help with the makeup," Zoey says, staring at the floor. "I feel like I'm not being of any help during this challenge. I don't trust myself to NOT mess up the outfit the others are putting together, I'm always made fun of for my outfits back home. I don't normally wear these types of clothes." She lifts her eyes to the camera. "Are my clothes at least okay? I tried to pick the most normal-looking pieces in my closet possible."

* * *

Chris pokes his head in backstage. "Seven minutes left!"

Anne Maria drops her brush. "Oh crap, we gotta do your hair!"

"What's wrong with my regular ol' ponytail?" Leshawna says.

"What ya just said! And I need to go check your outfit to make sure it's not hideous!"

"I could do her hair," Zoey says in a low voice. Anne Maria stares at her with a scowl. "Or not-"

"Let her do my hair. I don't want to end up wearing a retro polka-dotted dress," Leshawna says.

Anne Maria picks up the brush and palms it on the counter. "Fine." She strides away.

Leshawna faces Zoey. "Okay, what is the deal between you and her? And I won't take 'nothing' for an answer, I have eyes."

Zoey lets out her breath in a soft hiss. "She did your makeup really well." She looks away from Leshawna and picks up a curling iron on the counter. "Let's do your hair."

Sam dashes to the front of the stage and cups his hands around his mouth. "DAKOTA! DAKOTAAAA!" He climbs down the stairs and races down the path leading away from the area, yelling her name.

He soon comes across Dakota rolling a large sleek barrel alongside the path. "Dakota! Hi!"

Dakota glances at him. "Hi Sam. I heard you calling my name."

His head tilts. "Then why didn't you answer?"

She rises, stretching out her back. She winces at a crack. "I'm 'cleaning out the environment'. I figured it wouldn't be much fun for you to make conversation with me right now."

Sam gives her one of his large, goofy smiles. "It's always fun making conversation with you." He clears his throat and joins her in rolling the barrel. "So right now my team's doing a challenge that's like a fashion show, and I wanted some advice from you on our outfit-in-progress because you're so well-put together, even when dealing with toxic waste! Our outfit's only missing that extra spark, y'know? And shoes."

Dakota smiles, her green eyes growing brighter. "Well, what do you have so far?" Sam describes the details at high speed, and Dakota nods, muttering "Mhm" over and over. When he finishes, her smile has evolved into a mega-wattage grin. "I know what you need, Sam." She leans in toward his ear. "A black and white striped jacket."

Sam raises his arms to the air. "Stripes! Of course!" He sweeps Dakota off her feet in a hug. "Thanks Dakota, you're an angel!" Dakota watches him as he runs off, a rosy flush on her cheeks.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

Sam is light pink all over. "I admit it, I imagined something else for a second when she said she knew what I needed." He goes a shade darker, and he waves his hands at the camera. "No, not that! I just meant, you know... a kiss. I mean, it's not a terrible guess, she even leaned toward me. Okay, yeah, I was in my own dream world."

* * *

By now, Justin has the thermal shirt on with the rest of his regular clothes. He taps his foot while waiting by the box hidden under clothing.

"Found a pair of white sneakers!" Scott announces, holding said items in the air. He runs over and hands them to Justin, who begins tugging them on.

"And here's a pair of light blue jeans, finally," Jo shouts from a distant rack. She rolls them up and throws the ball at Justin. He catches it with one hand.

Scott and Jo stare at Justin as he unrolls the jeans, then looks up, raising his eyebrows in an expectant way. "A little privacy, please?" They blink and turn away from him.

"Where's the hat, String Bean and Pointy?" Jo shouts.

"Why, lass, the hat's right here!" A standing Manitoba tips down his fedora. "The hat of Manitoba Smith."

Cameron palms his forehead. "We can't find it! Justin will have to wear the bobble hat."

Justin turns around, wearing the light blue jeans. "Aw, really?" Jo shoves the bobble hat over his eyes. "Hey!"

"Models should learn to not whine so much," Jo says. Justin folds the hat off his eyes, narrowing them at her.

Dawn runs up to Brick with a pair of glossy pale green heels dangling by her fingers. Her hair disheveled, she takes a gulp of air before asking, "Is this honeydew?"

"Yes. Perfect," Brick says. "Let's take them to Leshawna."

Anne Maria approaches the two. "What do we ha- whoa. That is one bangin' dress you got there."

Brick gives her a sideways smile. "Good to know."

All three swivel around as Sam bursts through the curtains. "I'm back! And I know the missing piece to our ensemble."

Brick looks around. "Where's Dakota?"

"Oh, she's not coming. Intern work. But she did tell me that we needed a black and white striped jacket."

Brick slaps his forehead. "By George! Dakota's a genius!" Anne Maria, Sam, and Dawn stare at him. "Uh, I mean, can you look for that Sam?"

"I'm on it!" Sam sprints past them to the racks.

Leshawna's hair is tied by a sea green ribbon in a bun. Two miniature braids run up her scalp on one side, and thin coils frame her face. "Boy, if Harold could see me now," she says with a chuckle. Zoey wipes her forehead with the back of her hand.

Chris' head enters backstage. "_Two minutes_!"

Brick, Dawn, and Anne Maria come at Leshawna and Zoey like a tiny stampede. They lurch to a stop at the vanity, and Brick holds up the dress and shoes. "Ma'am, you're gonna have to put these on real fast."

Leshawna's lips press together, suppressing a smile. "Understood, cadet." She takes the pieces and heads behind a white screen.

Outside the stage, the judges sit at a table with water glasses. Lindsay adjusts herself in her seat between Chef and Chris, who is tapping his pen. Chef is clad in a red track suit with matching shades and a cap worn backwards.

Lindsay turns to Chef. "Chevy, I really like your shades! I think pink is more your color though, no one looks better in red than Tyler. By the way, what's that record player for?" She points at the turntable in front of Chef.

"It's a turntable, lady," Chef says in a gruff tone.

Lindsay's eyebrows pinch together. Within a few seconds, her expression unfolds. "Ohhh, I'm not talking about this turntable-" she taps the table- "I'm talking about the record player in front of you." Chef shakes his head at the ground.

Chris drops his pen and stands up. "Time to start the show."

Leshawna emerges from behind the screen, patting her hips. Sam runs up to her, black and white striped jacket flapping behind him. "Here's the finishing touch to the outfit!"

Leshawna pulls at the hem of her dress. "Oh good, I could use some coverage over this short thing." She takes the jacket and shrugs it on.

Chris steps through the curtain. "Time's up!" he shouts. "The Mutant Maggots are up first!" He exits and walks onto the catwalk, the Maggots stepping out from behind the curtain. Lindsay gives a polite smile while Chef crosses his arms.

"Who's doing the narration for Justin?" Scott hisses.

"You mean introduction?" Cameron says.

"Sorry, I don't do narrations. I lasso crocodiles if you buy me brekkie though," Manitoba whispers.

"Hey Manitoba, can I see your hat?" Cameron asks.

"Sure thing, kid." Manitoba flips off his hat and hands it to him. He gasps, and his face goes blank. "Wha- why are we up here?"

The host flourishes to the stage. "Welcome to the Fast and Fabulous Fashion Spectacular! Maggoteers, show me something fierce. Chef, drop that needle."

Chef puts the turntable's needle on the record, and a pulsing beat begins to play. He gives Chris a thumbs up.

Justin steps out. He begins a slow, measured walk on the runway, shoulders relaxed. His easy smile shines brighter than the stage lights.

Chris and Chef stare at him, mesmerized. Lindsay writes her score, then waves her hands over their faces. "Chip? Chevy? Hello?"

Jo clears her throat. "Justin is wearing a red and white shirt with pants," she drones. "And he's wearing a-"

"_Shh_," Chris says, putting a finger to his lips.

She throws her hands in the air. "Now see, why'd I even bother?"

Justin slides to a stop at the end of the runway and strikes a pose, placing a hand on his hip. "Okay, now that we've had twelve seconds to appreciate the beauty of Justin," Chris says, "we can be somewhat unbiased. I'll go first. I'm taking points off for the color scheme here, too patriotic to the U.S. We're in Canada, people! Also, I think a beret would've been much better."

Cameron slaps his forehead. "I knew it!"

"I agree, bobble hats are so last fall," Lindsay says. "I mean, they're cute, but not nearly as trendy as berets. Ooh, but white sneakers are sooo in fashion though! What about you, Chet?"

"Stripes are stupid," Chef grumbles. "Why can't teens just wear solid colors, huh? What's so wrong about that?"

"I give it a seven point five," Chris says, holding up his note card. Jo lets out a huff.

"Since Justin is wearing five different pieces, and I like four out of five of them, I'm giving him an 8," Lindsay says.

"Um, he's only wearing four things," Scott says.

"No, he's wearing a hat, shirt, jeans, shoes, and socks." Lindsay folds her arms. "See, I counted!"

Chef flips his note card over, which has a '5' scrawled on it. "I would've done a four if it wasn't Justin."

"Alright then," Chris says. "Maggots, head back inside. Rats, let's see what you've got!" Justin and the Maggots retreat backstage. Dawn, Brick, Sam, Anne Maria, and Zoey file out from the curtains. A beat later, Leshawna pushes the curtains aside and struts down the catwalk, hips swinging from side to side. Her dress dazzles shades of blue and green, and her face reflects the glow of the lights.

Lindsay claps her hands. "Whoo hoo! You go, Leshawna!" Chef whistles two notes.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHEF (The Psychotic Chef)

"What? Leshawna really was something else," Chef says. "Reminded me of a time when I had a girl who looked like an Egyptian queen." He gives a deep sniff. "Her name was Cleo... That's all I'm gonna tell ya maggots!"

* * *

Leshawna halts at the edge of the platform and rolls her shoulders in the jacket. "Wow, Leshaw-nah! You look like you're ready for a night out with Harold!" Chris says.

She does a wide roll of her eyes. "Please, Chris. It ain't gonna happen that way."

"I think having your hair down and curled would've fit the look more though."

"Oh please, Leshawna looks absolutely gorg!" Lindsay says. "Don't you see how the ribbon compliments her dress? And that jacket is _killer_. Can I buy that from you, Chip? I'll give you an I-owe-you, I don't have my credit card on me right now."

Chef is wiping at his eyes with a handkerchief. "N-no comment," he sniffs. He holds up a '9'. Lindsay flips up her note card, revealing a '10'.

Chris shows a score of '9'. "And that concludes the first part of the challenge: the Rats are the winners!"

The winning team shouts and whoops. While Cameron heaves a sigh and Jo wears a stony expression, Scott has a subtle smirk on his face. Mike stares off into space.

The Rats walk over to Leshawna, all wearing smiles. Brick shakes her hand. "It was nice working with you, ma'am."

Leshawna chuckles. "Sure thing, hon. Good luck to you all." They head back to the stage, and Leshawna pulls Zoey aside. "And to you, I'm passing on my secret to getting far on this show and in life too, because I feel you sincerely need it." She grips Zoey's shoulders and tilts her head in. "_Confidence_."

She turns around and disappears backstage.

"We lost again? In a _fashion show_?" Jo says. She points at Cameron and Mike. "The blame's obviously on you two." She jabs her finger at Mike again, who flinches. "Especially you! Your stupid ideas and acting keep costing us challenges! You get one last chance to prove yourself, drama geek. Screw this up, and you're gone tonight." Turning her back to her teammates, she walks off the stage.

Scott crosses the gap Jo left, shaking his head. "Well,_ I_ don't blame you guys. I mean, I respect that you tried your best, unlike Jo. After that scene, I personally think she should go home."

Mike does not meet his eyes or Cameron's. "I don't know... I think she may have a point." He breaks away from the group and walks down the stage.

Scott looks after him, eyebrows tilted upward. "What's up with him?"

Cameron pauses, staring at Scott from the side. "I don't know."

* * *

NOTE: What do you guys think of the cameos? I hope I did well with them. Lindsay and Leshawna are two of my favorite contestants on Total Drama, and I felt like Justin was meant to be here in this challenge. And yes, Lindsay will still be taken by a yeti for the next part of the challenge, courtesy of Chris this time. I made Cameron the focus in this chapter because he plays a part in several plots, but I'll try my best to make the characters' screentime more equal in the next chapter.


	12. Runaway Model (Part 2)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

First off, news on the poll: Eva is leading. Wow. Did not see that coming. Well, I didn't leave many choices to pick from anyway. Though I_ can_ think of numerous possibilities for her cameo... I might even pair her with Noah!

Also, last chapter was my longest chapter to date (until this one), and I really made an effort to get it out as soon as possible. Considering the content, I thought it would have sparked some reviews. Please review, people! They are my motivation to get these updates out faster, as they show the most that you care about this story (to me, anyway). I like to have people caring, it's another reason to write.

* * *

All the contestants are off the stage, standing on level ground with Lindsay, Chef, and Chris.

"Well, campers, your next challenge involves something LARGE," Chris says. He points at a helicopter arriving with a wooden box roughly the size of two adults.

The pilot's face is wrapped in white bandages, leaving only sage green eyes, dark eyebrows, nostrils, and a line for a mouth. He pushes a button, and the crane releases the box to the ground with a** _THUMP!_** He glances at the camera and whips his face away, turning the helicopter around. It flies off, the chopping sound disappearing after a minute.

"Who was _that_?" Scott asks.

"Looked like a mummy," Jo says.

"Just one of our interns," Chris says in a trying-to-be-casual tone. "Chef, release the beast!"

Chef, holding Chris' jetpack in one hand, opens the container with the other. A yeti with gray-purple fur fills up the entire space. The campers yelp and jump back. Dawn stays planted, clasping her hands near her chin. "Oh, he's a beauty..."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

Dawn's grin covers nearly all the width of her face. "At long last, an animal untouched by toxic waste! I thought I'd never see the day, at least not on this island. Sasquatchanakwa is the most majestic creature I have ever seen. I can't wait to talk to him!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey lays a finger on her chin. "I wonder why Sasquatchanakwa wasn't affected by the toxic waste. Hm. Maybe it's because he's so big already?"

* * *

Sasquatchanakwa steps out and takes the jetpack from Chef, putting it on himself. He makes grabbing motions toward Lindsay and looks at Chris, who nods and puts a finger up.

Chris turns to the campers. "Chef and I have tamed the once-wild Sasquatchanakwa. Pretty neat, huh? For the next part of the challenge, you will be canoe-racing to Boney Island. There, you will search for Lindsay through the hostile environments until you reach the clearing where she and Sasquatchanakwa are located. Then you'll rescue her. Easy enough?"

"Um, no," Anne Maria snaps, staring up at the yeti. "You expect us to go against this mutant monsta?"

"Oh, the yeti's no mutant," Chris says with a pleasurable smile. "He was born that way- _big_."

"What if he eats her?" Mike says, his tone as harsh as Anne Maria's.

"Eh, he's an omnivore."

Lindsay raises her hand. "Wait, why am I being rescued?"

A smirk seeps onto Chris' face. He meets eyes with the yeti and points to Lindsay. Sasquatchanakwa dashes toward her, arms outstretched. Lindsay shrieks and sprints off, initiating a chase across the grass, on the stage, and back. Brick and Mike step forward, then retreat. The yeti soon scoops Lindsay into his arms and launches to the sky, fire blazing behind him over the lake.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Boy, I sure feel bad for leaving Lindsay to handle the yeti by herself," Brick says. "But Chris is the ultimate commander here, and he did say it was tame..." He scratches the back of his neck.

* * *

Chris looks at his watch. "Well, let's get started, shall we? You will each have to pick a partner on your team to ride the canoes."

"Hey, where's our advantage for winnin' the fashion show?" Anne Maria asks.

"Oh yeah! Almost forgot about that. The Rats get motors installed on the back of their canoes. They're a bit rusty though, so I added oars just in case, you know, something happens." He chuckles.

Sam swallows. "Hopefully we don't go out of control like in yesterday's challenge."

Brick gives him two quick pats on the back. "Ease up, soldier. I'll be your partner if it'll make you feel better. In fact, I'll even drive."

"Nah, I'm fine with driving. I'm more worried about the outside elements, such as seagulls."

"Oh," Brick sighs, "good, because I can't drive."

Anne Maria walks up to Dawn and Zoey while looking at the former. "Guess I'll be pairin' up with you two."

Zoey takes a small step back, and Dawn glances at her. "Anne Maria, I think it'll be better for all of us if you go with Sam and Brick."

Anne Maria turns away, a tear slipping to the middle of her cheek. She rubs it off. "Fine. You do whateva you want."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"I have the feeling that I hurt Anne Maria's feelings," Dawn says. "And not just based on her aura. I don't know how I did it though! Goodness, I'm no better at smooth communication than Cameron."

* * *

As Scott walks toward Mike and Cameron, Jo grabs his shoulder and makes him stumble. "You're coming with me, Farmer. I don't know why you're acting all buddy-like with those two geeks, but don't forget we're in an alliance."

"I didn't forget," Scott scoffs, shrugging her hand off. "By the way, you're not the boss of me. Or anyone else here. You're disillusioning yourself. I'll be your partner only because I choose to, don't you forget _that_." He turns his back to her and leaves Jo staring after him with tight fists.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo raises her arms in the air. "Of course I'm the one in charge of the alliance! I'm the one who started it! Also, look at everyone else who's tried to lead the team." She begins tapping on her fingers. "Lightning, Cameron... me. Huh, less than I thought. Still, I'm a better leader than either of them. And you can't have a good team without a good leader." She leans forward and rests her chin on her fist. "Scott's got me thinking that maybe I need to give him the same treatment I gave Jockstrap, force him into submission."

* * *

Cameron takes a few strides toward Mike, who is kicking at a pebble. "Wanna be partners?"

Mike looks up and gives him a quick smile. "Yeah, sure." His eyes go down, and he digs his toe into the ground.

Cameron watches him. "That pebble sure is deep down."

"Yeah." He smooths back his hair and stares levelly at Cameron. "Look, I'm just upset about something, don't mind me. My doctor said physical activity is the best way to keep my anxiety down and keep me- normal."

His hand hits his face. "Never mind." This time, he pushes harder into the dirt, and the pebble pops out.

Cameron stoops down and picks it up, inspecting the light orange color. "It's okay if you have a doctor. We all have one."

"Really," Mike says. "... Oh, right." He lets a quiet, rolling chuckle escape. "I forgot about that."

"We're all anxious sometimes, too." Cameron holds out the pebble to him. "Here's your quartzite."

Mike scrapes it up. "You don't mean quartz, do you?"

"Sort of. It's a mixture of quartz and sandstone." He turns around and sees Chris, Chef, and other campers walking down the path into the woods. "We should catch up to everyone else."

Mike sees them as well, and his eyebrows jump. "Good idea."

Scott sticks to the back of the group, casting frequent glances behind him. "What are they talking about...?" As Mike approaches, Scott waves at him, which he returns. Cameron jogs a great distance behind Mike, catching up long after the latter joined the group.

Scott makes eye contact with Cameron, who quickly turns his gaze to the trees. "I was thinking of going back for you two," Scott says in a light tone. "What were you talking about with Mike?"

Cameron looks back at him. "Um, nothing important."

Scott stares as Cameron turns away again. "Uh huh."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"The only person keeping secrets on this island is me," Scott says. "Looks like I still haven't gained his trust. And if I don't have his trust, I don't have his loyalty to an alliance, which means he might figure me out and pit the others against me." His face becomes a mask, with dull eyes and down-turned lips. "You have just switched the target to _your_ back, Cameron."

* * *

Near the dock, four canoes lie on the sand. Half of them are red, and the other two green canoes have motors and driving wheels attached.

"Race to your canoes, and paddle like you've never paddled before," Chris says. He raises his air horn. "Starting-"

"NOW!" Jo bellows, and blows a deafening note out of her whistle. The group thunders onto the shore, Jo cackling as she sprints ahead.

"Hey, how dare you steal my cue!" Chris shouts. "Everyone get back here! That wasn't the air horn!" He growls under his breath. "Stupid teenagers."

Jo puts both hands on a red canoe and slides it into the lake. She crawls into the front seat, looking behind at Scott. "Get in!"

Brick reaches a green canoe and waits until Sam and Anne Maria arrive a few seconds later. "Step inside, teammates. I'll push us into the water."

Anne Maria steps into the middle. "Won't it be easier if we help ya push first?"

"Nah, I can handle it." After Sam sits, Brick positions his arms against the canoe and strains, squeezing his eyes shut. Seconds later, it shifts forward on the sand, then speeds up toward the lake.

Dawn watches this, climbing into a canoe with Zoey in the water.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

Dawn has one leg crossed over the other. "Brick's habit of taking responsibilities on himself has varying effects on our team. Usually it helps because of his athleticism, but sometimes it gets in the way of our chances. I think the pressure on him to be our leader may be making his habit worse." She looks away, foot bobbing. "I just hope he doesn't exhaust himself..."

* * *

Mike stops at the last red canoe, looking behind him. "You can get in the boat if you want, Cameron. I'll push it into the water."

"No, I'll help you." Cameron gets behind the boat and pushes alongside Mike, arms vibrating. The canoe runs smoothly across the sand. When Mike rises up, Cameron falls on his stomach into the water.

"Oof," Mike says, wincing. He stretches out a hand to Cameron, but the latter gets up on his own, dusting himself off.

"I'm fine." Cameron clambers into the front seat. Mike watches him for a few seconds, then steps into the back.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I'm trying my best not to seem like the weak link of my team," Cameron says. He plops his chin into his hands. "I'm starting to feel some bitterness toward my bubble. If my mom wanted to keep me healthy, why doesn't she let me exercise? Sure, I'm not a great runner, but I can walk at least. It took months to convince her to let me audition for this show, and if I win, all my money will be spent towards keeping my bubble inflated!" Cameron blinks, then drops his arms from the air. "Uh, Mom, if you see this, I really am fine with the bubble. I don't blame you for anything."

* * *

The Rats' canoes speed ahead of the red canoes, motors whirring. Jo growls, striking the water with her paddle. "I wish we still had a gull cannon to shoot their motors down."

Scott leans back with his arms behind his head. "Now that wouldn't be fair play, would it?"

"They're not playing fair as it is!"

"Eh, we got motors last time. This makes the teams equal."

Jo gives him an accusing stare. "Why aren't you paddling?"

Scott's shoulders lift toward his head. "Well, we don't really stand a chance anyway. Look ahead of us."

"We'd be closer if you were trying, Couch Carrot!" She raises her paddle over his head, releasing a small waterfall.

Scott sits up and sputters. "Hey!" Jo sends him a wide smirk before sticking her paddle back in the water. He picks up the dry paddle on the floor and rows, muttering, "The Hurl of Shame better throw you into the lake..."

In the back of one of the green canoes, Brick slouches in his seat. At his heavy breathing, Sam glances behind him. "You okay there, Brick?"

Brick looks up, wearing a smile lined with exhaustion. "Fine, soldier."

"Maybe you should sit this one out," Sam says. "You've already done a lot for us, and even the best leaders need a break sometimes. Plus-" his lips push up in an arc- "it must've been hard pushing my weight."

"Well, it sure is hard to _lift_ your weight," Anne Maria mutters.

"Nonsense," Brick breathes. "I don't know why I'm this tired."

Anne Maria's head turns sideways. "Um, hello? You pushed both of us in a large canoe, clunky motor included. Anyone would be tired by that, Brick."

On the other green canoe, Dawn looks down at the paddles on the floor. "Canoe-riding is much more peaceful when you're paddling. We're disturbing the marine life with our motor." She gives a light sigh and lifts her gaze to Zoey, who is staring into the water. "Zoey? You seem stressed."

Zoey's head turns a fraction. "Can't you see into my emotions better than that, Dawn?"

"Well, yes, but I've been trying to refrain from doing that these days."

"You mean, you can suppress your aura reading?"

"It's not quite 'suppressing'. Think of it as your own eyesight. When you focus on something, everything else seems to blur in the background, right?" Zoey nods. "If I don't focus on one's aura, I only see what's at the surface, meaning the lighter emotions."

"But why would you want to su- refrain from seeing auras? It's a cool talent to have."

Dawn chuckles. "Thank you, but I'm trying not to creep people out."

Zoey's face forms the picture of surprise: open mouth, enlarged eyes, arched eyebrows. "You're not creepy! I mean, when you talk about people's personal information it's a little creepy, but you're really nice."

"You are kind yourself to say that."

"Thanks." Zoey flashes Dawn a smile before looking around. "Are there any boats around us?"

"I can sense our teammates are a little behind us."

Mike and Cameron watch as their teammates pass by, a pouting Scott in the back. "What's Scott like?" Cameron asks. "I mean, you've been around him longer, so you probably know him better than I do."

Mike squints at Scott's boat, eyebrows drawn in. "Scott? Um, he's nice, I guess. I can't recall much about him for some reason."

Cameron fidgets in his seat. "Do you know about Scott, Chester?"

Mike flinches, dropping the paddle. "What?" He gasps, back bending to jut his head out. His arms cross against his chest. "Why, I know everything about that weasel boy! He's as shady as a criminal, I tell ye. On the second day here, he came in the cabin filthy as a stray mutt! Didn't even wipe his feet on the carpet! Thinks he's some sorta Casanova, making out with a missy in camp. Well, he should meet Vito in Mike's head, that'll change him." He lets out a cackle and wheezes, clearing his throat. "Highly suspicious character, kids like ye should stay away from him. When Mike asked Scott about a hideous bruise on his hand, he said some rapper named B put a mouse trap in his suitcase, ha! Even an old geezer like me doesn't believe that. He snatched B's note from Mike and threw it on the ground, the durned litterbug. Must have a thing or two against that rapper, I'll say."

Chester gasps and straightens in his seat. Mike blinks, looks down, and picks up his paddle. "Sorry Cameron, were you asking me something? I kind of zoned out there for a second."

"No, but keep rowing, we need to catch up to Jo and Scott." Cameron points ahead.

Mike follows his finger to their boat, a dot in the distance. "Whoa. How'd we get so far behind?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"That was the most immoral thing I have ever done in my life," Cameron says, shaking his head at the ground. "How could I take advantage of Mike like that? I not only exploited his disorder, I also betrayed his trust. But then, he doesn't even _know_ I know about his DID." He pauses. "Dissociative Identity Disorder. The worst part is, I was going to ask each of his personalities until I got to the one with his memories about Scott. It's just that I was so desperate to get the upper hand on Scott, and I've been feeling aggravated lately by Jo- no. No excuses. I owe Mike a confession and an apology."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Please tell me one of my personalities didn't come into the middle of our conversation," Mike says. "I can't believe I said I 'zoned out' when one of my personalities was probably blabbing his or her mouth off!" He groans and hits his forehead. "Also, I have an extremely short memory. I couldn't even tell Cameron about Scott."

* * *

Scott looks at Cameron's and Mike's boat behind him and smirks. "Say, Jo, if we lose this challenge, who are we voting off next?"

"I say don't worry about that, 'cause we're not gonna lose," Jo snaps, rowing harder.

"Well, just in case, we should have a plan. How about-"

"WE'RE NOT LOSING THREE TIMES IN A ROW!" In the silence, she huffs, blowing hair out of her face.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT (AND COMPANY)

"Chris, I have a personal request for you," Scott says. "Can you hold a double elimination tonight? Because I have a conniving little shrimp and _Eva_ to dispose of."

The door opens. Scott leaps back. "Yipe!"

Chris' head pokes in, looking around. "Someone call me? Oh. Sorry dude, I don't take personal requests. Just my own."

* * *

The Rats come close enough to see the shore of Boney Island, made blurry by fog. Jagged boulders the size of small hills protrude from the water, and a skull-carved mountain in the middle of the island stares at the campers with huge, hollow eyes.

"Uh, is that the shore?" Anne Maria asks.

"Seems like it," Brick says, mouth open slightly.

"I wonder if there's a roller coaster somewhere," Sam says with a sideways smile.

"Ha! You're funny," Anne Maria says. **[1]**

_Put put put... _The canoe slows to a crawl. The group looks at the motor. "Guys?" Brick says. "I think our motor's broken."

Anne Maria scoffs. "No kidding. Give it a thump, will ya?" Brick turns in his seat and gives the motor a knock with his fist. It collapses in two and falls into the water. Brick blinks, fist hanging in the air.

"Uh, heheh. Not your fault, soldier," Sam says.

Brick turns around, shoulders slumped. "Sorry."

"Whateva, we need to get a move on! Here." Anne Maria tosses paddles from the ground to Sam and Brick, who get right to paddling.

Jo takes a moment from her fervent rowing to raise a fist in the air. "Yes! Thank you, Chris, for giving them faulty motors!"

"Darn it," Scott mutters, hitting the water hard with his oar. It splashes back in his face. "Argh!"

Dawn's and Zoey's canoe pulls in at the shore. Dawn switches off the motor. The two climb out of the boat, the water lapping at their heels. "Should we wait for the others to arrive?" Zoey says.

Dawn tilts her face toward the skull. "I'm receiving bad vibes from this island, and not just by aura. Safety in numbers, I believe."

Brick, Anne Maria, and Sam swiftly move toward the shore when they hear splashing behind them. They turn around and see Jo about a canoe away from them. "Jo?" Brick yelps.

"Me, Captain Peewee." Jo gives another powerful stroke, drawing her closer.

Brick growls between his teeth. He begins pumping his arms in a knife-like motion, and the boat lurches forward. Anne Maria and Sam lose their paddles in the water and begin to watch Brick and Jo.

"Stop rowing, you're slowing me down!" Jo shouts at Scott.

Scott's oar flips into the water as he puts his hands up. "Well, excuse me for trying!"

Where Mike and Cameron are, the other canoes are but tiny blobs. Cameron pants as he drags his oar in the water, and wipes his forehead. His hand comes off moist. "Sorry for being a inadequate rower."

"Hey, no worries. I'd rather not be near Jo anyway." Mike hooks a finger under his chin. "You know, it'd be nice to grab a canoe with Zoey on the way back..."

Dawn and Zoey have one hand shielding their eyes as they watch the canoes, though the sky is covered by dark clouds. Zoey glances at Dawn and drops her hand to her side. "Is it safe to be this close to the water?"

Dawn points her thumbs in opposite directions: at the boats coming toward them like torpedoes, and the thick forest just off the beach. "We're in between two dangerous things here."

"Oh, right."

"Though it is okay to go sideways." Dawn grabs Zoey's hand and pulls her just as the first boat scrapes across where she stood.

Brick leaps out of the boat and runs to Zoey, who is on the ground. "Zoey! Oh no, did I hit you?"

"No. Dawn pulled me out of the way." Zoey takes Brick's outstretched hand and stands up, looking at Dawn with a smile free of tension, but also curled-up eyebrows. Dawn blinks and tilts her head.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"What an odd expression," Dawn says. "I couldn't help but read her aura then, and there was relief, mixed with... doubt. I wonder what that was doing there."

* * *

Jo and Scott stop at the sand and climb out of their canoe. Jo marches over to Brick and jabs her finger near his face. "You only won because you had a motor, got that?"

Brick gives her a carefree smile. "Whatever you say, Jo. You still beat me three to one." **[2]**

Jo's face flashes blank, then her eyes pierce him again. "Let's make that four to one." She yanks Scott forward and sprints into the forest. "And this time I get a headstart!"

Brick's eyes spark with a grin. "Oh no you don't! Tally ho, troops!" He races off, the Rats close on his heels.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick's hand hangs from his neck. "Gee, I really don't know why I get so competitive with Jo. Sometimes I'm flat-out amused by her, other times she grates on me. But racing her is always fun." His hand begins to rub back and forth. "But I broke my code once again in competing with her. I should stop."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA

"I think Brick might have a thing for Jo," Anne Maria says. She drops her jaw and reveals her tongue. "Ick."

* * *

Mike and Cameron arrive at the shore and stop. Cameron swings his paddle into the boat and bends over, letting his arms dangle on the floor.

Mike steps out of the boat. "Everybody's gone!" He looks at Cameron, who sits motionless. Coming over to the side, Mike lifts Cameron like a rag doll and positions him on his back. A close-eyed Cameron clasps his hands around Mike's neck as they race toward the forest.

The contestants in the forest falter a little in their steps as they hear various sounds: thunder, screeches, growls, and rustling. Scott stops and scowls. Jo slows to a jog while looking behind her. "What are you stopping for? Too scared?"

"As if," Scott scoffs. "I'm going back for Mike and Cameron."

As he turns around, Jo lunges and grabs his wrist. "And what are you doing_ that_ for? We have to stay ahead of the Rats!"

Scott jerks his wrist away. "We have to stay ahead of Brick, you mean. Is this your form of strategy? Leave everyone behind?"

"If they can't keep up, it's their fault."

Scott hits his head with a fist. "God, you really are dense, aren't you? That's how you'll get kicked off! Then again, a million tips wouldn't help your case, let alone a million dollars." He runs back the way they came, passing the Rats. Jo stands still as they pass her a few seconds later.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Well, not my smoothest move," Scott says. "But dang, Jo gets on my nerves more than my own sister! Maybe I should stick to voting her off. At this rate, she will prob'ly be voting for me, and I'm pretty sure Mike and Cameron will vote for her. But yet-"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I'm left all by myself again," Jo says. "Again! In another forest! And this time I actually mind, because Scott's supposed to be my ally, not cozying up to the rest of our teammates." The air whistles out of her. She sinks in her position, laying her fingers across one of her eyebrows. "I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I always have to fight my brothers for everything back home. And I thought, if I'm tough enough to stay on level ground with them, I would dominate this show for sure."

* * *

"Why is Jo stopping?" Brick says, craning his head back.

"Maybe she was caught off-guard by something," Sam says, huffing and puffing. "Speaking of which, we should probably be looking more carefully for yeti clues."

Dawn claps her hands and slows down with the rest of the group. "Ooh, I like yeti clues."

"I'd just like to get out of here as soon as possible," Zoey says with a shiver. "This place is giving me the creeps." As if the forest heard her, a wind blows through the trees, shifting their shadows on the ground.

"It's just because there's dark clouds," Dawn says. "If it were sunny here, this trip would be like my nature walks back at camp."

"You go into the forest with the mutated animals? I mean, not that I'm questioning your choice! That's just really brave of you, to do that." Zoey gives her head a quick shake. Dawn opens her mouth, then closes it.

Brick turns to the group, lips stretched down at the corners. "Comrades, I must apologize for-"

"It's okay, Brick," Anne Maria says, irises grazing the roof of her eyes. "You don't have to apologize for every single 'crime' against your code."

"Wow, you should try aura-reading sometime!" Dawn says.

Anne Maria searches Dawn's face, then flicks her eyes away. "No thanks, girl. That kind of magical hobby isn't for me."

"I'm sorry for when I excluded you from being with me and Zoey," Dawn says softly. "I wanted to separate you two because of this morning."

Anne Maria and Dawn transition to the back of the group. "Why are ya mentionin' this? It wasn't like I cared."

"But you did. I saw it in your aura."

Anne Maria lets out a short breath. "Fine. So I did, a little. I wanted to ride with you instead of the guys, happy?"

"That's not all, is it?"

She scowls. "... No. I can't lie to ya 'cause of your aura-readin'. That's all I'm sayin' though."

Mike jogs on the forest path, breathing in and out fast. "You okay to walk now, Cameron?"

Cameron opens his eyes. "Sorry, what? I was trying not to think about being in a spooky forest."

"Heheh."

"Did I say something funny again?"

Mike laughs once more. "Well, your honesty is pretty funny in itself. It's probably a good idea too, to not think too much about this place. I'm getting tired though, sorry to spoil your plans."

"No apology needed." Cameron lets go and drops to the ground. "I guess we're on our own to find the yeti now."

Mike begins walking ahead. "Yup," he says in an airier tone. "Jo and Scott probably wanted to get away from me, since I keep messing up the challenges."

Cameron falls into step beside him. "Why would you think that? As far as I've seen, you're doing fine."

"You're kidding, right?" he says, stopping. "I've hardly done anything that helpful. The only time I did was in the other forest challenge, and I had Lightning with me."

"Your small contributions help the team too. Also, at least you try harder than a few of us."

He looks to the treetops. "Yeah, well, even my best isn't good enough. Just vote for me tonight, okay? If we lose, that is."

"I'm not voting for you. You don't deserve it."

"Ditto," says Scott's voice in front of them. They both jump, and he steps out from behind a bush. "Sorry if I scared you, didn't mean to."

"How come you're here, Scott? And where's Jo?" Mike asks.

"Why were you hiding behind a bush?" Cameron says.

"One at a time, guys! I didn't want to leave you in the first place, but she literally dragged me with her! I managed to get away, thank goodness. And, well, about the bush thing-" Scott taps one foot against the other- "I was hiding in case she came looking for me."

"She dragged you?" Mike says, forehead wrinkled. "She must find you useful to not leave you behind like us."

"We should keep moving," Cameron says. "We're not gonna find Sasquatchanakwa by staying still."

Scott forms a downward slant with his mouth before adjusting it. "Touche." He takes the front of the group as they move on.

The camera view shifts to a small clearing with a hill made of rock in the middle. Wooden platforms attached to poles stretch across the hill's side, forming four different levels. Sasquatchanakwa and Lindsay sit at the top, resting their feet on the ceiling platform.

The yeti glances at Lindsay from the corner of his eye, then leans back and turns to her. It lets out a series of low grunts which translate to: "So, are you doing anything later?"

"I don't understand you, Wawanakwa," Lindsay says. "Can you speak English?" The yeti swishes its head back and forth, then slumps and stares down. Lindsay squints at him, pinching her chin. "You didn't really want to kidnap me, did you? You just do what Chris tells you to." Sasquatchnakwa grunts an affirmative noise.

Lindsay stands up and puts her arms out. "You should rise up and rebel! Show him who's boss! A teeny tiny man like him can't hold down a mighty yeti like you!"

The yeti lets out a soft snort resembling that of a horse. "But I'm tamed. I can't."

"Don't deny yourself! I can tell that you are." She walks along the edge of the rocks. "I know what we should do. We should train you to act like a wild animal again! Just because you've forgotten how doesn't mean you can't relearn it. Look at me- I forget people's names sometimes, and I sometimes get them wrong, but that doesn't stop me from trying."

"You haven't succeeded yet?"

"Yeah, I know, it's not fun to forget. I can't stop calling my friend Laquisha 'Leshawna'. Or is it the other way around?" She steps onto the top platform, eyes unfocused. "At least I remember Tyler's name, that alone took ages to memorize. I didn't even recognize him last season! I think seeing how I hurt him sealed his name in my mind."

Sasquatchanakwa calls out to her, "Watch out!"

"Aw, thank you! You're s-" Lindsay's leg falls off the platform, taking the rest of her body with it. Her shriek splinters the air as she flips backward, arms whipping around. One smacks sideways on the lower platform, and her hand latches on. She looks down, her face white. The camera zooms out, showing a drop of three stories down.

The yeti lies flat on the ceiling and reaches toward Lindsay. She stares up at him and turns around, stretching her free hand toward the edge of her platform. She grabs on and exhales, her forehead shiny with sweat. "I can't reach that far, yeti."

Sasquatchanakwa grabs his jetpack and switches it on... except it doesn't. He flips the switch three more times, and groans. "Curse you, human technology. HELP!" **[3]**

The Rats jump at Lindsay's scream. "That must be Lindsay!" Brick says. "Come on, troops!" He breaks into a sprint in the direction the scream came from.

Sasquatchanakwa's roars reach the group's ears. "That can't be good," Sam says in a small voice. Brick bursts through the bushes and finds himself standing in the clearing, the rest of the team quickly following.

Dawn puts a hand to her mouth. Sam's eyes and lips form o's. Zoey sucks in air. "Oh my God," Anne Maria whispers.

Sasquatchanakwa spies them and shows his huge teeth, which could either be interpreted as grinning or baring. Brick, Sam, and Anne Maria step back, while Dawn steps forward. "Don't worry, Sasquatchanakwa, you can catch Lindsay and save her! But you will have to come down first."

"Hang in there, Lindsay!" Sam calls out. "Er, pun not intended!"

"I'm trying!" Lindsay yells, turning her head. She looks down and squeezes her eyes shut. "Ohh, I'm getting dizzy up here."

The noise of Lindsay's scream faintly reaches Mike, Cameron, and Scott. They stop and exchange looks. "That sounded like Lindsay," Cameron says.

Several seconds later, the yeti's roars emerge. "And that sounds like the yeti," Mike says. The group begins running, with Mike taking the lead and Cameron falling behind.

"You run fast," Scott says, pumping his legs harder to stay near Mike. "Do you practice a lot?"

Mike chuckles. "Oh, I'm all speed, no stamina. I'm not running my fastest, I get tired quickly when I do that."

"So you're like a cheetah, basically."

"Heh. That's a stretch, but I'm flattered."

"Good," Scott says, making it sound like a breath. "Say, Mike, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Shoot."

"Do you think, by any chance, that Cameron is slowing our team down? I don't have anything against him, but he's far behind us right now."

"He is?" Mike looks back to see a running line on the path. "Well, as long as he stays within sight. I should be the one going home if we lose."

"Are you kidding? You're much more athletic than him. Heck, anyone is more athletic than him."

Mike looks at Scott now, eyebrows falling over his eyes. "I thought you didn't have anything against him."

"I don't," Scott snaps, then releases a breath through his nose. "I just think he's the weakest player on our team, that's all."

Back in the clearing, the yeti sits down on the hill and rests his chin in his hands. Lindsay still dangles on the edge of the platform, her fingertips white and body shaking. "You have nothing to fear from these people!" Dawn says to the yeti, motioning at her teammates. "They're all friendly! They won't hurt you!"

"Unless you hurt us," Anne Maria grumbles. The yeti looks at her with wary red eyes, then at the others.

"A girl's life is at stake, man!" Sam says. "Have you no sense of chivalry?"

"Well, he seems polite enough," Brick says. "Fear cripples even the best of us."

Dawn's eyes flit to him. "Like you, Brick?"

Brick stumbles on one foot. "W-what?"

"Guys, I'm falling!" Lindsay screams. Her fingers slip off the wood, and most of the Rats stand petrified. Brick sprints toward her, and Sasquatchanakwa covers his eyes.

Mike and Scott emerge on the side of the hill. Scott's eyes round out at the sight of Lindsay falling. "What the-" Mike pedals his legs toward her. He and Brick approach the landing spot and dive at the same time, bringing up clouds of dust. A colorful blur with a billow of blonde hair slams into them, and the dust forms a barrier where only a dark heap peeks through.

Shoes of the contestants pound against the ground as they run, surrounding the scene. The dust clears, and Lindsay has her eyes shut as she lies in Mike's arms, layered over Brick's.

A chorus of heavy exhales ring out. Mike and Brick grin with glowing faces, and Lindsay sits up. "I'm alive? I'm alive!" She leaps. "Yippee-kai-yay!" Her heels stab into her saviors' hands, and they let out high yelps. "Oh, whoops."

Chris arrives near the contestants in his ATV with Chef. "And the Maggots win today's challenge! I must say, great job of making such a dramatic conclusion for the viewer audience."

Zoey sticks her hands on her hips. "Chris, where were you when Lindsay was hanging on for dear life?"

"Watching on-screen, why?"

"You were just going to let Lindsay fall thirty feet? She could've gotten seriously hurt, she could've died!" At this point, the other contestants are giving Chris stony looks.

Chris puts his hands up in front of him. "Aw c'mon, I knew you guys were gonna save her! The yeti was supposed to keep her from doing stupid stuff like falling anyway." He jabs a finger at Sasquatchanakwa climbing down the hill. "So blame him!"

Chef wiggles his head. "Only the most pathetic would blame an animal for their mistakes."

"Shut it!"

Sasquatchanakwa jumps the rest of the way down. His eyes pinpoint Chris and glimmer with a wild ferocity, mouth snarling. "You have just crossed the line, McLean. You let my friend fall without lifting a finger, and now you will pay." He breathes in and puffs out his chest, then lets out a howl- not as smooth as a wolf's, but just as resonant.

The forest begins to rumble.

Still among the trees, Jo sits on a boulder. She leans forward and rests her chin in her hand, eyes distant. The ground begins to shake under her, snapping her to attention. Standing up, she looks to her right and sees a wave of enormous saber-toothed beavers and bears sweeping the path. **[4]** "What on Earth?" she says before they trample her.

They soon pour into the clearing and slow down, gazing at their leader. He points at Chris, who backs away toward the trees. "GET HIM!"

The wave narrows into one line attacking Chris, animals waiting for their turn in the trees. Chris lets out muffled screams, and after a minute of watching, Chef wrestles his way into the swarm. Dawn walks up to Sasquatchanakwa. "Mr. Yeti, perhaps you can enlighten me on the animals here. How come none of you are affected by toxic waste, did Chris only dump waste on the other island?"

The yeti stoops to look down at her. "Not exactly." He picks her up and sets her on his shoulder. "Some of the waste got into the lake and traveled here. Since we drink from the lake, we were affected too, but not enough to show on the outside. We're much smarter now, so Chris had the beavers build a resort on the side of the hill. They got lazy though, and quit."

"I see. If you had the choice, would you be cured?"

Sasquatchanakwa shows his teeth at her. "Nah, I'm good. Life's been cooler now that I know freedom of choice."

Cameron and Scott walk up to Mike, eyeing each other as they do so. "Mike, you just did the best save I've ever seen!" Scott says.

Mike rubs his arms and winces. "Thanks. My arms are going to seriously ache for a while though. I might have broken them if Brick didn't catch Lindsay under me."

Lindsay runs up to the group. "Hi Mark! I just wanted to thank you for saving me." She plants a kiss on Mike's cheek, which grows darker. "This is only a thank-you kiss, okay? Guys tend to think they mean something else, but I'm already with Tyler."

She walks to the Rats, where Brick is being patted on the back by Sam and Zoey is looking at Mike. He winks at her, to which she winks back and chuckles.

"Uh, Mike?"

"Yeah, Cameron?" As Cameron opens his mouth, Scott stares at him with a slight frown and Mike glances at Zoey.

"You know what? This is bad timing right now. I'll tell you later." Cameron begins walking away.

"Wait, Cam!" Cameron turns around, one eyebrow pinched inward. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." He brushes by Scott as he leaves.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I've never had anyone call me Cam before," Cameron says. "Not even my own parents. It sounds so casual! It's like the kind of nickname friends give each other... I like it. Oh, why does the first person to call me Cam have to be Mike?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LINDSAY (The Dumb Blonde. I don't know why canon has her as The Dumb Princess, the true stereotype is obvious.)

"Wow, I haven't been here in such a long while!" Lindsay says. She looks around, and her eyes soon spring tears. She pinches her nose. "Ewww! It smells so awful! In fact, it smells like Owen was just here!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: OWEN (The Cuddly Optimist)

Owen smiles, his cheeks light pink. "Oopsie."

* * *

**TOXIC RATS' CABIN**

There is a heavy silence in the females' bedroom. Anne Maria paints her nails on her bed, only staring at objects within a two-foot radius. Zoey works on knitting a mint green scarf with red tassels. Dawn meditates on her bed, eyelids twitching. After a few minutes of fidgeting and readjusting her position, she breaks the atmosphere. "Zoey, could I talk to you about something?"

Anne Maria dips her brush in hot pink nail polish. Zoey looks up from her needles. "Sure."

"Could we go outside?"

Zoey blinks. "Um, yeah." She looks at Anne Maria, who drips nail polish on her blanket and growls. They exit the cabin and sit on the steps in the sunlight. Dawn stares at the sky with a subtle frown. "So, what is it?"

Dawn turns to her. "Sorry, I was just thinking. Throughout the challenge today, I had this feeling that I was making you uncomfortable... am I right?"

Zoey stares at her for a few seconds before looking away. "Right. That wasn't your fault though."

"It wasn't?"

She releases a sigh that fades into the air. "No. You were so nice to me today, and I didn't know how to take it. I still don't understand why you're sticking with me instead of Anne Maria."

"I thought you could use some support after what she said to you."

"But why are you still hanging out with me after what she said?" Zoey says, putting her hands out. "Can't you see right through me? I even fail when I try to _look_ normal. No one ever falls for my act and becomes my friend. At least, not for long."

At Dawn's silence, Zoey clears her throat and looks down. Dawn tilts her head, gazing at Zoey with the calm eyes of a sage. "I have my own question for you, Zoey. Why would I stay around and talk to you like a friend if I didn't like you?"

Zoey gives a loose shrug. "I dunno, pity?"

"Pity? I wouldn't do all that for pity. Look, I'll just tell it to you straight. I would like to be friends with you. Do you not feel the same way? If you don't, I will accept it, but we need to clear this up."

"I would love to be friends with you, Dawn."

Dawn relaxes, a smile gracing her features. She stands up. "Well, that is lovely. Thank you for talking with me out here." Zoey watches as she goes inside the cabin, then lifts a strand of her hair. Pursing her lips at it, she retrieves her elastics from her pocket and reties her hair with them. She reattaches her flower pin and taps it, the corners of her lips inching into a smile.

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

In the males' side of the cabin, Mike watches Scott across from him, who is digging into the long end of a bent stick with his shark tooth. Cameron's head is buried in his notepad as he writes, pauses, and writes again.

Scott drops his shark tooth on the bed and lifts his stick, long end up. "Voila! A replica of my pappy's favorite gun Scrappy. Small size, small barrel, big impact."

Cameron looks over his notepad. "Your dad named a gun Scrappy?"

Scott points at him. "Hey, don't make fun of my pappy!"

"I don't think he meant to," Mike says.

Scott gives him a smile that teachers give students they are about to punish. "Mike, will you come outside with me for a moment?"

Mike glances at the bunk below him. "Uh, okay."

They walk out of the cabin and stand outside the door. "So, I think we need to have a plan of who to vote off if we lose a challenge," Scott says. "I don't want to run the risk of losing a valuable teammate like you. My personal candidate is Cameron, because not only is he the weakest, but he's way too secretive. Don't you ever wonder what he writes in his notepad that he doesn't share with us?"

"Not really. Well, sort of, but he's still a nice guy. Why don't you try talking to him? I bet you two would get along once you get to know each other."

"I doubt that." Scott says, too low for Mike to hear. "Okay, I didn't want to tell you this, but you leave me no choice. Cameron has been spreading an ugly rumor about you. I was trying to keep it from you because I know you and him are close, and I didn't want you to be hurt."

Mike stares at him, a tremor entering his hands. "What's the rumor?"

"That you have Dissociative Identity Disorder." Mike's face unfolds, jaw falling and eyes going still. "He told me it used to be known as Multiple Personality Disorder... that's not real, right? He made it up?"

"Why didn't you tell me right away?" Mike says, his voice barely audible. "Don't you think I would've wanted to know something like that?"

"Mike, I didn't know it was real... it's true? You have it?"

Mike looks at him, eyebrows pulled down over shining eyes. He skims down the steps and runs to the woods. Scott watches him go, his expression stoic, then walks back into the cabin.

"Hi Scott," Cameron says from his bed.

"Hi Cameron."

"Where's Mike?"

"He wanted to go for a walk." Scott climbs the ladder to his bunk.

"I see." Cameron swings his legs around and looks up at Scott. "You know, Mike told me you, um, made out with someone before I switched over. Who'd you kiss?"

Scott smirks. "A gentleman never kisses and tells, but... Dawn. I kissed Dawn." **[5]**

The look in Cameron's eyes grows sharp for a second, then fades. "Ah, okay. Good for you."

"She has really soft hair, you know. And lips."

"Mhm." Cameron returns to his notepad, and Scott scowls.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"How'd I know Scott was lying?" Cameron says. "One, he had to think about who he 'kissed'. Two, I don't think Dawn would be interested in someone like him. Right?"

* * *

It is nighttime, and the Rats pour out of their cabin for the bonfire ceremony.

Anne Maria and Zoey stare at each other on the steps. When Anne Maria narrows her eyes into thin ovals, Zoey looks away. The team heads onto the path in the black forest.

Brick exhales. "Out of all of us, no one deserves to go home today but me."

Four different "What?"s arise. "But you led us to victory in the first part of the challenge!" Sam says. "And you were really close to rescuing Lindsay."

"No one else contributed to our loss today. I also broke my code once again competing with Jo."

"But we can't lose you," Dawn says. "You're the best athlete we have."

"And the only one," Anne Maria says.

Brick shakes his head. "You all are excellent teammates. You don't need me to do well for yourselves."

"I'll go," Sam says. Everyone stares at him. "I've been thinking of quitting for a while. I even asked Chris about it, and he said I could become an intern after my elimination."

"Really?" Zoey asks.

"Yeah, there's a shortage of interns apparently. I want to join Dakota and see if I can win her affections." His teammates' expressions soften. "Come on guys, I can't let this opportunity to be with my dream girl go."

Anne Maria shrugs. "Sure Sam, I'll vote for ya."

"I will too," Dawn says.

"And me," Zoey says.

Brick's unibrow curves in an 's'. "You're really willing to give up your chance to win the million?"

"Just like you, soldier." Brick's lips crack into a smile, and the two shake hands.

"Oh Sam, good luck," Dawn says.

They come to the end of the path and see the bonfire peeking through the bushes. "Thanks. Good luck to all of you. Now let's get through this ceremony, shall we?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

"Dakota's not the only reason why I want out of this competition," Sam says. "I'd really like to get all my videogame consoles back. Chris confiscated my last one yesterday, and my hands feel so empty!"

* * *

The Rats sit on the stumps in front of the fire. In the front, Brick pats Sam's shoulder. "Well, Rats, today's vote was surprisingly unanimous," Chris says, his head, neck, and limbs wrapped in bandages. "The loser going home tonight will be launched out of here via catapult."

"And never come back?" Sam asks.

"Ever?" Zoey says.

"Hey, I only said that in the first episode!"

"And twenty-four seven in the first season," Zoey says.

"Whatever. The following people are safe for another day."

"Dawn."

"Brick."

"Zoey."

"And finally, Anne Maria. Sam, here's your marshmallow of toxic loserdom." Chef tosses the glowing green marshmallow to Sam, who lets it drop on the ground. "To the catapult you go, Sam!" Dawn runs off with her marshmallow, leaving the others to stare after her.

Sam stands up. "Aren't I becoming an intern now?"

"Yeah, after you make the swim back here," Chris says. "This is my favorite part of the show! Like I'm gonna miss it."

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Sam's limbs dangle out of the catapult. He grimaces and curls up, crossing his arms against his chest. After a while, he brings his limbs out again. "There's just no way to make this comfortable, huh?"

"Nope! No comfort for losers!" Chris says.

"As said in the first episode of World Tour," Zoey says.

"SHH! Any last words S-"

"Sam!" Dakota runs onto the dock, followed by Dawn. She walks up to Sam and hands him a note, her cheeks flushing pink. "Call me, okay?"

Sam holds the note in both hands, looking at it as though it were the million dollar prize. "I may have lost the game, but I won the girl of my DREEEEEEEAMSSssssss!" Dakota and the Rats watch his figure fly across the night sky.

"He was one fine soldier," Brick murmurs. His teammates and Dakota nod.

"Head back to the bonfire, Rats," Chris says, then turns on his heel and walks down the path.

The Rats look at each other. "What? Why?" Zoey says.

"You'll find out!" Chris' voice shouts in the distance.

Dawn whispers, "Oh no..."

* * *

When the Rats arrive back to the bonfire area, their eyes are met by the Maggots. Cameron looks at Dawn and mouths, "Sam?" She nods. Brick and Jo stare at each other for several seconds before looking away. A smile springs onto Zoey's face, and she waves at Mike. Hunched over with his elbows on his knees, he glances at her with a shadow of a smile. Zoey's mouth drops, and she sits beside him.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Zoey says.

Mike raises his head a little. After staring ahead for a bit, he turns to her. "Zoey, did you hear any rumors about me from Cameron?"

Zoey's eyes flit over his face, eyebrows pulled in. "No, I didn't hear any rumors about you from anyone."

"Good."

"Should I ask why?"

"Preferably not."

Zoey sucks in her lips and looks at the moon. "The moon looks fuller than yesterday. That means you won."

"Actually, I didn't, because I thought it was waning."

"Really? I thought you'd know what direction the moon would shrink in if it were."

Mike presses his lips together while smiling. "I don't know that much about the stages, but I do know the moon doesn't shrink."

Zoey slaps her hands on her hips. "Now why do you keep correcting me?" Mike laughs, and soon Zoey joins in.

"Quiet down, kids," Chris says. All noise from the contestants dies down. "I need two capable players, one from each team, to stand up."

Jo, Scott, and Brick stand up. The two Maggots cross their arms and stare each other down. "Brick, don't!" Dawn whispers.

Brick looks down. "Why not?"

"Too late to sit down now!" Chris says. "Jo and Scott, you'll have to do Rock Paper Scissors to decide who's sitting down."

Jo and Scott put out their fists. "ROCK PAPER SCISSORS SAYS SHOOT!" Jo shows 'rock', and Scott shows 'paper'.

"Ha!" Scott says as Jo drops back onto her stump, scowling.

"Then it's decided. Brick, Scott, you will be switching teams now. Pack your bags."

Scott wears his default smirk. Brick gapes at the host. "But my team already lost Sam! Is this how you plan to ruin the team's dynamics?"

"At least they're getting another player, eh? One that brings in the ratings." Chris chuckles and turns to the camera. "How will the teams handle their new team members? Will Team Rat crumble without their beloved leader? You'll have to wait and find out next time, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**Annotations** (Just figured, since this my longest chapter so far):

**[1]**\- There's a roller coaster named Skull Mountain in Six Flags Great Adventure. Since it's in New Jersey, and Anne Maria is "The Jersey Shore Reject" (meaning she would probably live there), she got the joke.

**[2]**\- Jo won points when she beat Brick twice in the first chapter, and when they raced underwater last episode.

**[3]**\- I don't curse human technology because I type this story on a keyboard onto a computer. I do kind of curse my cellphone though, as it resets by itself daily.

**[4]**\- Woolly beavers, native to Boney Island. "Oh yeah, and they're meat-eaters!" ~Chris

**[5]**\- A small tribute to Dott for a certain reader. I don't plan to hook Scott and Dawn up (sorry to all Dott fans who are reading my story), but you might see more of Scott's fantasies in the future.


	13. Treasure Island of Dr McLean (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

This is a pretty redundant thing to say, but I realized I've been making "AUTHOR'S NOTE" bold since the ninth chapter. That's probably only interesting to me, moving on.

The poll about cameos is now closed. Whether you know the results or not, I tried to make the characters who are cameo-ing in this challenge as entertaining as possible, heh. I really enjoy writing these cameos. I also enjoy making polls, so another one is now up on my profile. If you're interested, it asks who you think will NOT make it to the merge. Two of the contestants in the current teams will not be here for the merge, so choose your two guesses, or one if you're uncertain about the rest. I have the feeling that I made the final 6 pretty obvious, so here's to me finding out if that's true or not.

P.S. This story now has over 5,000 views! Awesome. Also, I couldn't fit the full title of this episode for the chapter, so I figured 'the' was the least important word.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Anne Maria, Dawn, Zoey, Scott

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Jo, Mike, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam

**RECAP**

On the dock, Chris is reclining on a white beach chair as Sam, now wearing a red shirt with pockets, and Dakota file his toenails. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: The contestants_ ran_ a speedy fashion show- ha, get it?- and trudged through the treacherous woods of Boney Island to save Lindsay from the yeti, Sasquatchanakwa. You know, I just don't get why the animals attacked _me_, when there was a whole buffet of fresh teenagers walking around!" Sam and Dakota glance at each other. "Stupid non-mutated animals. Anyway, there was quite the bit of drama between Anne Maria and Zoey, and conflict between Scott and his entire team! You should really be more careful, Scott. You're raking in half the ratings we get on this show, the other half being myself." Dakota's dark green eyes catch the light as they flip, and Sam pats her back.

Chris stares down at them, and they freeze. "You call that buffing? I wanna see my ruggedly handsome face in every toenail!" They begin to saw back and forth on his toenails. "Now that there have been two team switches, will the reunited once-ex-team members ally themselves against their new team members? Find out right here, right now, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!" Sam shoots Dakota a smile, the skin crinkling around his eyes. She smiles at him sideways.

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

In the males' side of the cabin, Brick now sleeps in Scott's former bunk. Cameron snores softly in his sleeping bag, while Mike stares up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head. He huffs, climbs down the ladder, and walks out the door.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

The door opens, and Mike comes in from the bright outdoors. He shuts it and sits, patting down his disarrayed hair. "... I'm getting a sense of deja vu here. It's just- I-" He closes his eyes. "I don't want to believe Scott. If what he said is true, I'll have to take all of Cameron's kindness to me as a lie. Then I'll have no one here except Zoey, and she's on the other team. And then the truth will reach her soon enough, and this place will be just like school all over again." He rubs his eyes with his palms. "Everyone's nice to my face, but they talk about how strange I am behind my back. I'll be alone here."

* * *

All the contestants are in the main lodge, lined-up for breakfast. At the front, Cameron's face is hidden behind his notepad, a pencil tucked behind his ear. He extends his plate out to Chef, who dumps spaghetti, meatballs, and feathers on it.

Jo holds out her plate next. She wrinkles her nose once Chef serves her. "Feathers, Chef? I didn't think it was possible, but you just sunk another level in cooking skill."

"Oh, you'll pay for that," Chef grumbles. "Once you find yourself in the middle of nowhere." Jo's eyes grow sharper. "I-I said nothing! Not like there's some secret challenge Chris told me about." He slaps his forehead. "Doh!"

Brick gets his food behind Jo. "Why do you mind Chef's cooking anyway?"

Jo steps out of line and faces him. "Are you kidding me right now, G.I. Joke?"

"No, I think it's good. He tries his best, you gotta give him credit for that."

Brick and Jo jump when Chef lets out a loud cackle, pounding on the counter with his fist.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHEF

Chef wipes a tear from his eye, fighting a smile. "Ah, Soulja Boy actually _likes_ my food, that's hilarious. I don't try to cook these maggots real food, they don't deserve it!"**  
**

* * *

The only sound at the Rats' table is chewing. Dawn sits between Anne Maria and Zoey on one side, and Scott sits on the other. Zoey swallows her spaghetti, then coughs out a feather. Dawn watches it fall to the floor and sighs, her food untouched. "These poor turkeys died a gruesome death. I sense their lingering despair all over this room."

"It ain't even Thanksgiving yet," Anne Maria says, eyeing a butt-shaped meatball on her fork. **[1]** "Speakin' of time, what day is it?"

"The fifteenth," Scott says.

"Really? It feels like we've been here a while now. Say, Scott, you haven't been talkin' much since you switched ova to our team. Miss the Maggots?"

Scott smiles, looking her in the eye. "Nope, just thinking about stuff." Anne Maria lifts her eyebrows slightly before taking a bite out of her meatball. Dawn looks at Scott, showing nothing in her face but a downward tug of her mouth.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"I don't trust Scott or his aura," Dawn says. "He's much darker than he's letting on now. And after what Cameron told me, I'm not taking any chances."

* * *

Mike sits at the end of the Maggots' table, chewing and staring down at his meal. Cameron sits on the other end. His hand flies across his notepad, eyebrows scrunched into a 'v'. Jo and Brick come over, and Brick seats himself next to Cameron while Jo sits across from them.

Brick gives Cameron a smile reflected in his eyes. "It's good to see you again, soldier. Hopefully there's no hard feelings about your elimination."

Cameron streaks his pencil across his paper and looks up. "Sorry Brick, did you say something? I didn't quite catch it."

He chuckles. "It's fine, carry on. Wouldn't want to break your focus on whatever you're doing."

Jo turns her head to Mike. "What are you doing over there, Pointy? Come join us."

Mike's mouth suspends in chewing. His eyes flicker before going dull. He sits next to Jo without a sound, sliding his tray over.

Cameron's gaze flicks up. "Hi Mike."

Mike stares at a place below his eyes for a few seconds, then picks up his fork and twirls it in his spaghetti. "Hi." Brick shifts in his seat, and Cameron's notepad wilts.

The door opens and Chris walks in, a bounce in his stride. Sam follows, and Brick gives him a thumbs-up. "Looking good, Sam!"

Sam returns the gesture. "Thanks! The shirt's kinda scratchy though."

"Well, campers, hope you're all enjoying your meal," Chris says. He winks at Chef across the room, and they snicker.

"Uh oh. Last time they acted like that, the contestants got a disgusting eating challenge," Zoey says.

"You mean, this isn't it?" Scott says, smirking at her. The sides of her lips shoot up.

Cameron teeters in his seat, then falls backward, notepad going out of his hand. The campers stare at him as he rolls to his side, eyes shut.

Brick leaps out of his seat beside him. "Speak to me, soldier!" He pushes Cameron onto his back and presses up and down on his chest, then leans in.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Chris shouts. "No need for CPR! He's just asleep, for heaven's sake!"

"Homophobe," Anne Maria mutters.

"What do you mean, he's asleep? Did you drug the turkey?" Jo says.

Chris grins. "Yes." The sound of forks dropping fills the air.

"_What_? That's gotta be illegal!" Mike shouts.

Chris rubs his fingers together near his upper lip. **[2]** "The rules change when you're in show biz, dude." Jo's eyelids lower shut, and her head hits the table.

"Oh no! Jo!" Brick runs to the other side, but slows down as his eyelids begin to droop. When he reaches Jo, he falls next to her.

The rest of the contestants follow within a minute. Scott's face falls in his food, Mike collapses on top of Brick and Jo, and Dawn whips her head around as Anne Maria and Zoey slump onto the table on either side. She turns to Chris, her face white as a sheet.

Chris stares back at her, smile on the edge of a smirk. Chef creeps up from behind, lifting a rusty frying pan. Dawn swivels around and backs away toward Chris, hands held out in front. Chris pulls out a bag of powder and throws a handful in the air, letting it sprinkle upon her. She stops, tilting back and forth on her feet before crumpling. Chris and Chef high-five and chuckle.

* * *

The sun shines high on the shimmering lake. In the middle of it are two log rafts, each with one of the teams' flags and the corresponding team members. The teens on each team lie down in two rows pointing toward the sun.

Cameron stirs, opening his eyes a crack. He sits back and leans on his hands, blinking around at the lake. His gaze comes into focus, and he leaps to his feet. "Whoa! We're adrift at lake! Guys, wake up!" Cameron shakes Mike, then Brick, then Jo, but none of them respond. He lets out a low sigh and kneels at the edge of the raft, scooping water in one hand. With the other, he sprinkles the water on Mike's face.

Mike's face twitches. "Huh?... Wha?" He looks down to see the lake next to him, and springs away. "Gah!" After staying crouched for a bit, he looks at Cameron putting water on Brick. "Cameron, where are we?"

"The middle of Lake Wawanakwa," Cameron says without turning.

Brick's eyes open, then squeeze shut. "Geez, it's bright..."

Before Cameron can sprinkle water on Jo, she wakes up. "Don't you dare, String Bean." She sits up, blinking at the sky. Then she looks where her hands are touching the wood, and finally the lake. "What the f-" **[3]**

On the Rats' raft, Scott's unexposed skin shines scarlet. His arm flies up and lands in the water, and he opens his eyes. "What the-" He yanks his arm out. "Ouch! Sunburn!" He drops it back in. "Ahhhh..."

Anne Maria murmurs and wiggles around. Zoey's eyes open toward the sky, then squint. "Huh? The sun..." They shift sideways and bulge. "AH! The lake!"

Anne Maria snorts and blinks. "Say wha?" She looks around and gasps. "What the heck are we doin' here?"

Chris drives near the rafts in a motor boat. "Oh good, you're all awake. Well, except Dawn."

"Dawn?" Zoey taps Dawn's shoulder, then shakes her. Her breath continues to come out in a whistle from her nose.

Jo blows her hair out of her face. "What kind of idiotic challenge is it this time?"

"Actually, this challenge is different from all the others. You will have to be resourceful to get through this one. I will tell you all the details once you reach the shore. Whoever arrives first will get a special advantage. We're nearing the merge, people, so look alive!" Chris zips away toward the shore. "See ya!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Okay, let me just say right now that I'm glad I got switched," Scott says. "My plans to eliminate Cameron backfired yesterday, so I'm glad I have a clean slate now. And this time, I don't have to work against my own team!" He turns his ear toward the camera and cups it. "What's that, you say? Why am I not stabbing the Rats in the back? Well, now that all the people I need to eliminate are on the Maggots, I can just focus on winning and them _losing_. My number one priority is still Cameron though. Have you seen that guy's notepad? He's way too smart for his own puny body! I know he doesn't like me, and I wouldn't put strategizing past him if he makes the merge. Jo and Brick are obviously physical threats, but Jo sucks at strategy, so I'm not worried in that department for her. As for Brick-" he scoffs- "I doubt it. Mike's easy to handle, I could beat him in brains and brawn any day. I'm not underestimating anyone in this competition, that I promise you."

* * *

Anne Maria and Zoey stand while Scott sits on the edge, dipping both arms in the lake. "What are we gonna do without any paddles?" Zoey says.

Anne Maria glances at her. "Beats me." She walks to Scott and stands over him, lips twitching. "Boy, you sure got cooked out here!"

Scott gives her a sharp look sideways. "Thanks. This is all Chris' doing, that thoughtless jerk. Seriously, how does he expect us to get all the way over there without oars?"

"Swim there, maybe?" Zoey says.

Anne Maria lets out a loud cough. Zoey flinches. "As if."

"Actually, I think that's a good idea," Scott says. Both girls look at him. "We don't exactly have many options here. We can push behind the raft to the shore."

Zoey's eyes brighten. "Good idea!"

Scott ducks his head a little, a smile playing on his lips. "Well, I just built upon yours."

She puts a hand on her arm. "You deserve the credit, my idea was pretty far-fetched."

"No it wasn't," Scott says. "It was a great start." Anne Maria watches them intensely, a frown sitting on her face.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA

Anne Maria frowns as she crosses her arms, concentrating on the floor. She looks up. "Ya know what I really can't stand about Zoey? That everyone likes her right when they meet her. I wouldn't care if she _got_ people to like her, but no, she's instant friends with whoeva she meets without even tryin'! It really ain't fair at all." She lays her hands on her collarbone. "I mean, I don't mind bein' controversial, but shouldn't I be gettin' more attention than her? I've known my team since the moment it was made, and I have way bettah hair than her. Sure, she's pretty and all, and she doesn't have to try for that eitha... Maybe things are just meant to go her way."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"You know, I didn't really talk that much to Scott when we were both on the Maggots," Zoey says. "Now I'm wondering why. He's really nice! I guess I was just too shy to talk to him, and maybe he was too shy to talk to me."

* * *

Brick faces the Maggots, hands on his hips. "So, is there an established leader here?" Mike and Cameron look at Jo, and Brick follows their gaze.

"Not really," Jo says in a casual tone, as if she were discussing the weather.

"Really?" Mike and Cameron say, and glance at each other.

"Well, does anyone want to be leader for this challenge?" Brick asks. The lake swishes around them, and the Rats talk in the background.

"I led last time, but I don't like to be leader too often," Cameron says.

"Then is it okay if I take leadership role for now?"

Mike bounces his shoulders. "Sure."

"Mhm," Cameron says.

"Whatever, Pee-mander," Jo says.

A muscle twitches in Brick's cheek. "It's CO-mmander to you, soldier."

Jo yawns. "Again, whatever. Why do you care so much about my nicknames anyway?"

Brick grits his teeth. "Because they're not nice." Jo stares at him, and he turns to the other raft. "Unless anyone can think of something else, I say we do what the Rats are doing right now."

"Nothing comes to mind at the moment," Cameron says.

"Then into the water we go." Brick leaps from the raft, and the rest follow.

Scott kicks between Zoey and Anne Maria behind the raft. "Let's try to get to shore before any sharks reach us," he mutters.

Zoey blinks. "Oh yeah, I remember during that truth challenge, when you nearly got eaten by Fang."

"There's been many more incidents since then."

She winces. "Ooh, sorry about that." Neither notice a dorsal fin coming to them over the surface. It lines up behind Scott, and another fin taps his shoulder.

Scott turns around to see Fang's eyes gleaming out of the water. "... Just my stupid, stupid luck. AHHHHH!" He leaps onto the raft as Fang lunges at him, biting air. Scott jumps to each side as the shark lashes out in different places, Dawn whistling through her nose in the middle.

Fang sinks in the water, eyes shuttered toward Scott. He raises his fin in the air and snaps, still staring.

A line forms in the middle of Scott's forehead. "What was that for?"

Fang shows his teeth at him in a murderous grin. Dawn stirs while mumbling, "Poor creature, such a diminished aura for one so large..."

The Maggots pull ahead of the Rats. Brick and Jo swim in the middle, with Cameron and Mike on each end. "Yes!" Jo says. "We have this in the bag."

Brick looks at her, eyebrows pulled down over his eyes. "You shouldn't underestimate the Rats. They really are a fine troop."

"Do they have any weaknesses?"

He turns toward the Rats' raft. "Well, I'm kind of worried who's leading them right now."

"Is that it? Your knowledge will benefit our team, you know."

"I'm keeping that to myself. I want to play the game fair and square, no exceptions." Brick looks at Jo sideways, head tilted down. "And you should too."

Jo scoffs. "I'm not trying to cheat, that'd be lame. But don't you want to win the game?"

"Not with any unfair advantage."

Jo's eyebrows contort, and she pauses a second in her kicking. "What? You should take every advantage you can!"

Brick stares ahead at the water. "Not every advantage is good, Jo. Maybe you've never experienced people using their advantages against you, but I have."

For a moment, the only sound is the Maggots kicking. "Technically, I play against people using them against me all the time in sports. But no, I understand what you mean."

Cameron peers above Jo and Brick. "Mike, are you okay?"

"Why do you care, I wonder?" Mike murmurs.

"What was that? Sorry."

Mike shakes his head as the others look at him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"It feels like a whole load has been lifted off my back since Scott switched," Cameron says. "But there's still the burden of what I did to Mike. Does he know?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"I've decided that I'm just gonna stay as long as I can, even with the rumor about me spreading," Mike says. "Rescuing Lindsay and winning the challenge yesterday really felt great, and I'd like to experience that more. Plus, I kinda have a goal right now..." He wrings his hands together. "I want to ask Zoey out. I don't know if she'll say 'yes', but... I'd like to try eventually. I've never met anyone like her before, I can't just let her slip from my fingers. Wish me luck."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Mike has been pretty quiet since I switched teams," Brick says. "He seems kind of upset, too. Maybe he'll feel better by talking to someone, like me, heh. The best soldiers always look out for others, so no soldier will feel down under my watch!"

* * *

As Zoey, Anne Maria, and Scott push their raft, a grinning Fang breathes down Scott's neck. His sunburn has paled, eyes more alert than normal. Bubbles rise to the surface ahead of them and start coming faster when they come near.

_**WHOOSH! **_A light magenta head and eight tentacles rise up, pouring water on the campers. They stare at themselves in the octopus' expansive yellow eyes with horizontal slits for pupils, the lids slanted over like eyebrows.

"AHHHH!" They turn around and churn the water. Zoey dives under, and the octopus snatches up Scott and Anne Maria. It swishes its head around, eyes landing on Dawn.

"Dawn! Wake up and RUN!" Anne Maria shouts.

"Don't you mean swim?" Scott says.

"Yeah, whateva!"

The octopus wraps a tentacle around Dawn and lifts her up with Scott and Anne Maria, scrutinizing them. Her eyes flutter and blink open, unfocused. "Huh?... Where am I?" She looks at Scott and Anne Maria struggling beside her, then at the octopus. "Oh, you poor soul!"

Scott, Anne Maria, and the octopus stare at her.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"So me and Anne Maria were stuck in the mutant octopus' tentacles, and it got Dawn too," Scott says. "Then she woke up, and you know what she said? She called the _octopus_ a 'poor soul'! We were the ones suffering, not the thing deciding which of us to eat first!" He crosses his arms. "You know, I live on a farm, but I still hate animals, and nature-types like Dawn are just weird to me. She's still hot though."

* * *

The Maggots are alone in the water. Cameron's kicks have slowed, and he clutches the raft so that his knuckles turn white. Jo looks at him sideways. "Tired already, Geek Squeak?"

Cameron's feet make feeble splashes in the water. "Could you please- not call me- that?"

Jo snorts. "What, you don't think it suits you?" Cameron pants beside her, looking ahead. "Well, I'd stop calling you nicknames like that if you proved your toughness in challenges."

"I contributed- a lot to my- last team, but you- didn't see it."

"Exactly. I won't believe it till I see it."

Cameron looks at her with strain around his eyes, then slides his grip further up the raft.

"Gosh, Cameron, you don't look so good," Brick says. "Do you need to rest?"

"Yes," Cameron gasps.

"Lie on the raft then." Cameron edges onto the raft, then rolls on his back.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I really hope the others don't see me in the same light as Jo does," Cameron says. "I know I'm the weakest on my team, but I'm really trying my best. I think. But even with all my contributions on the Rats' side, I still got voted off. What will it take to prove myself to everyone? Oh, how I wish more of these challenges were of the mental sort."

* * *

Brick nudges Mike's elbow with his own. "You holding up, Mike?"

"Yup, I'm good right now."

"Anything on your mind?"

Mike lets out a small chuckle. "Uh, why do you ask?"

"Just looking out for a fellow soldier. You seemed preoccupied, hopefully I'm not butting in."

"It's something I'd rather keep to myself, honestly. I'm not even too sure about it."

"Well, you can always come to me for advice, I'll do my best to help."

A smile flickers on Mike's face. "That's nice of you. Thanks."

"No problem, soldier."

The octopus holds Dawn close to its face as she speaks. "Poor dear, your friends shouldn't have left you just because you grew so much. At least you have this faithful friend here, right?" She points to Fang, and the octopus blinks twice.

Fang gives a low growl in his throat that translates to: "Can you hand me the ginger now?"

The octopus rumbles, "Aw, but he looks the most appetizing."

"I called dibs the first time I saw him."

"How so?" The octopus flips Scott over, and he yelps. "Hm, I wonder if he tastes like carrots."

"I tried to eat him first!"

"Can't we share him?"

"Grrr, no."

Zoey pops her head out of the water and looks around. "Guys?" She sees the scene behind her. "Oh no!"

She swims underwater as Fang and the octopus argue, then grabs onto the flag on the raft. Pulling herself up, she yanks it out and races toward the octopus.

Dawn's eyes pop wide. "Zoey, don't!"

Zoey sinks the flag pole into the octopus' eye. It lets out a deafening roar and drops Scott, Dawn, and Anne Maria into the water, then sinks under.

Scott pops up on the surface, hair flat against his head. "Zoey, that was amazing!"

Dawn looks down at the water. "Yes, it was very brave of you."

"Sorry I couldn't free you without hurting the octopus," Zoey says. "It was the only way I could think of."

"It's fine," Anne Maria snaps. "We need to catch up, the Maggots are way ahead of us!"

Scott eyes Fang snarling at him. "Uh, could I sit on the raft to prevent getting eaten?" Zoey stabs Fang in the nose, and he retreats. "Never mind, thanks."

Cameron falls back into the lake next to Jo. "Okay, I'm good now."

"Are you sure?" Brick asks. "You don't have to exert yourself, we're almost there."

"No, I can do this." Cameron grabs onto the raft and starts kicking.

Dawn now swims next to Anne Maria on the edge of the their raft. "This would be a pleasant morning swim if we had our swimsuits on."

"Yeah, my clothes are waterlogged! I'm positive Chris isn't gonna let us change eitha. Jerk. By the way, why did ya sleep for so long?"

"Chris threw a handful of sleeping powder in my face."

"Jerk," Anne Maria and Dawn say, then laugh.

"So, did anything happen while I was asleep?" Dawn says.

"Well, a shark tried to eat Scott. Then he summoned his octopus friend, and ya know what happened next."

"Oh yeah, about Scott-" Dawn lowers her voice- "he's not trustworthy. He framed Lightning into getting kicked off."

Anne Maria arches her eyebrows. "Seriously? How do ya know that?"

"I, uh, found it in his aura."

"Huh, should've figured. You're positive he did that?"

"Indeed." A smile grows on her face. "You know, you never would've believed me before."

"Hey, seein' ya communicate with a yeti and an octopus is enough proof for me."

"We should tell Zoey too, so we can vote Scott off."

Anne Maria's mouth drops on the sides. "You can tell her that yourself."

"You're a very likable and pretty person, Anne Maria," Dawn murmurs. "There's no need to feel jealous of her."

"What?" Dawn faces forward and kicks as though they never spoke.

The Maggots come within swimming distance of the shore. As they near the shallow water, the octopus rises in front and looms over them, one eye swollen shut. The other eye focuses on the teens, tentacles waving high in the sky.

They stare up at the octopus, mouths wide open. A tentacle swings down toward them. **CRRKKK! **The raft slices clean in half. Mike, Jo, and Brick go under, while Cameron flails in the water, tilting his head up. "Guys- I can't- swim!" He sinks, and bubbles come up.

The octopus dives and lashes out at Jo and Brick, who dart away from its tentacles. Mike dodges one and looks behind him at Cameron, who continues to sink. He closes his eyes for a second, then swims toward him.

Grabbing Cameron's arm, Mike pulls him up to the surface. He slides him onto one of the raft pieces and pushes from behind. Jo and Brick run onto the shore, and Mike arrives by the time octopus pops back up.

Brick sprints over and lifts Cameron with Mike, carrying him away from the octopus. "What happened to Cameron? Did he get hit?"

"He can't swim."

They lower Cameron onto the sand, and Brick slides his hand on his neck. "Oh man, I didn't know. Thank goodness you saved him."

A helicopter flies over the Maggots. Chef sits in the pilot's seat with Chris beside him, leaning out the door. "And the Maggots win the raft race! Without their raft. Eh, not that it matters."

"You mean, we could've left our raft behind near the shore?" Zoey says, arriving with the rest of the Rats. Their raft lies in the sand.

"Yup, and it would've been quicker too. Anyway, hold on." Chris faces the camera. "What will the next part of the challenge be, and will the Maggots win thanks to their special advantage? Who will be going home this time? Find out when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

A few yards underground, there is a wooden chest holding two people inside. From the outside, it shakes, rattles, and vibrates every few seconds.

Inside of it is Eva on her knees and Noah lying down. Eva slams a fist into the wall. "Stupid chest-" She punches it with her other fist. "Stupid show- RRUH!" The wood forms a crevice. She drops her arms and pants, sweat glistening on her face. "Stupid host."

The camera view shifts to Noah holding a book over his eyes. He has a lit flashlight standing beside him. "Relax, Iron Woman. If you focus too much on the utter mindlessness of Total Drama, you'll certainly lose your mind."

Chest heaving, Eva says, "Aren't you mad Chris stuck us in here? And threw sleeping powder on us to do it? That has to be illegal!"

"Not when you're in show biz, dear."

She scoffs. "Like you'd know about that."

Noah looks at her, eyes a shiny pitch-black. "Have you forgotten that I was once Butt-Chin's personal assistant? I must have not stressed the sheer pointlessness of that enough. Then again, it's pointless to remember."

Eva snickers. "Nice nickname for him."

Noah's eyes flick back to his book. "It's not a nickname, it's a fact."

"You're right. A real nickname for him would be Brainless Evil Creep."

"That's a bit rough on the tongue. Why don't you just call him a son of a Chris?"

Eva snorts. "Son of a Chris?" There's a pause, then she lets out a loud laugh. "Oh! My God, that's priceless! Like how Chris is the b-"

"Shhh!" Noah's lips twitch. "My little cousins just started watching this show, I don't want my aunt braining me with her frying pan."

"Sorry. I just feel like punching him in the face right now."

Noah lifts his head and stares at the camera. "Don't we all."

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed this update! And now, time for shameless self-promotion. I will have a TD Christmas one-shot featuring Izzy up soon (hopefully by Christmas itself). It will include the whole 1st-generation cast too, so expect Ozzy, chaos, and a whole lot of fun.

**Annotations** (These are pretty fun to make, I might make this a regular thing):

**[1]**\- Sorry I couldn't be more subtle. Us writers must tell the truth in our tales.

**[2]-** Implies that Chris once had a mustache that he used to twirl.

**[3]- **I think most people who know the f-bomb would react like Jo, but that's just me. I might whisper it.


	14. Treasure Island of Dr McLean (Part 2)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

First things first: I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I spent nearly all of my winter break writing my one-shot-turned-short-story, A Very Ozzy Christmas, so I started writing this chapter after school started.

Based on the poll, it seems that either you guys are good guessers, or I made the contestants being eliminated before the merge a bit obvious. Or maybe the person getting out in this chapter just seems the most likely to get the boot compared to his/her team members. For all I know, it could be all three. Thanks to those who participated, an empty poll would've been embarrassing, heh.

P.S. Just a small reminder that you can always see my progress on every next chapter on my profile.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Anne Maria, Dawn, Zoey, Scott

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Jo, Mike, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam

Dawn runs over to Cameron and gets on her knees. Cameron is motionless but for the minimal rise and fall of his chest. "Oh dear! I didn't see _this_ in my tea leaves!"

Zoey and Anne Maria arrive at the broken raft, and Zoey kneels beside Dawn with eyes not as wide or darting, but alert nonetheless. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"Hopefully," Brick says. "Mike pulled him out of the water."

"Really?" Zoey looks at Mike, whose gaze is half-focused on Cameron. He blinks up at her and pulls his lips into a smile, running a hand through his flattened hair.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I'm surprised that Mike was the one who saved Cameron, when he's been spreading rumors about him," Zoey says. "But I guess I shouldn't be, Mike's a good person."

* * *

Everyone except Cameron is now standing with their teams. "If Cameron doesn't wake up by the time I'm done explaining this next part of the challenge, I'm having Chef give him CPR," Chris says.

Cameron's eyes shoot open, and he rolls on his side, coughing and spitting out water. "I'M AWAKE! I'M AWAKE!"

Chef scowls. Chris chuckles. "I knew that would work. Anyways, here's the special advantage the Maggots get for winning." He drops a map and compass out of the helicopter, and Zoey catches them. "You all will be heading to a site on the northern tip of the island to find these guys."

An intern arrives at the scene, pushing a TV on a rolling platform. Chris pulls out a remote and clicks it, and the screen turns on to reveal Eva and the bottom of Noah's feet in the dim lighting of Noah's flashlight.

All the campers' eyes widen a little. Zoey gasps. "That's Eva! Er, and someone else."

Chris scowls and dials a number on his cellphone, then puts it up to his ear. A ringing plays on the screen, and Noah drops his book on his stomach and takes out his cellphone. Looking up at it, he sighs and takes the call. "What, Chris?"

"Noah, please show your face to the camera."

"Excuse me? What for?"

"The contestants need to see you."

"But I'm quite comfortable in this position." Eva snickers.

"Just get up for a quick second so they can recognize you!"

Zoey chuckles. "I think we can already tell who he is."

"I'm Noah," Noah says. "Sound familiar, kiddies?"

Jo's eyebrows slope downward. "Kiddies?"

Chris palms his forehead. "We're wasting precious time here. Land, Chef." The helicopter lowers onto the ground. "Chef will be now giving the Rats penalty belts."

Chef gets out with four belts linked by wrist cuffs. Scott slouches over when his is put on. "How much do these things _weigh_?"

"Not counting the chains, fifty around the waist and ten on each wrist. Do the math," Chris says, and Chef puts the rest of the belts on the other Rats. "Noah and Eva are in a chest buried somewhere on the northern island, so it's your job to dig them out first and unlock them."

"Burying people alive is seriously dangerous, even by your standards!" Mike says.

"Relax, we got them covered. Interns will dig them up if you don't arrive in time, though you probably will."

"Where are we supposed to find the keys to unlock them?" Zoey asks.

"We don't have time to answer your questions all day, you know. One key will be at the entrance to the digging site, you can't miss it. Or maybe you can, it's pretty small. By the way, here's a metal detector!" Chris gives a metal detector to Scott.

"What's this for?" Scott says.

"No more questions, Noah's and Eva's air is running out. Get moving!"

The Rats run toward the forest ahead, but Mike and Jo stand still as Brick claps his hands on Cameron's shoulders. "You feel fit to run, cadet?"

Cameron takes a deep breath. "I think so."

"Let's _go_, the Rats are getting ahead of us!" Jo says. The team breaks into a sprint. Brick runs with Cameron in the back, frowning at Jo ahead.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Jo is no team player, and I didn't just get that from being on her team," Brick says. "I'm saying this also from past observations. It'd be nice to get along well with her, but I'm not sure it's possible... unless she changes."

* * *

The Rats follow a wide path lit by sunlight, and their feet trail slightly as they run. "This kind of feels like carrying a backpack, except around my waist," Zoey says.

"Hopefully we don't have to reach for the key when we get to the site," Scott says in front. "Otherwise we're screwed."

Dawn shoots him a dull look with her eyes. "We'll find a way." She speeds up a little and taps Zoey's back.

"Yeah?" Zoey says. Dawn puts a finger to her lips and beckons Zoey. Both slow down to the back of the group. "Did something happen?"

"No, but I have to warn you about Scott," Dawn whispers. "He's not someone you want to get involved with. He framed Lightning so that the Maggots would vote him off."

"Really? Why?"

"I'm not sure. But I think you, Anne Maria, and myself should vote him off quickly before he causes any more trouble."

Zoey's expression disengages slightly. "You really want to get him eliminated over one thing?"

"It's not only that, his aura is dark and conniving." Dawn releases a light shudder. "Untrustworthy."

"Good to hear you're reading auras again. Are you sure that's all there is to him though? I mean, he's been so nice to me and all..." She closes her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be doubting a friend like this."

Dawn lays a hand on her shoulder briefly. "I understand. You don't have to make a decision right now. Maybe we'll win and won't have to worry about him."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Right now, I'm in better circumstances than Cameron when he had Scott on _his_ team," Dawn says. "Both Anne Maria and Zoey are my friends, and we can easily vote him off." She shifts her jaw sideways, and her eyes darken slightly. "Unfortunately, it seems like Scott already bonded with her while I was unconscious."

* * *

Mike and Jo run at the head of the group while staring ahead, half of the path between them. Jo's eyes flick toward Mike, then revert. They go back. "Nice job saving Cameron."

Mike looks at her, but she is facing ahead. "Mhm."

She stares at him. "You don't sound glad."

"I did what I had to, that's all."

"I thought you two were friends."

"And I thought I was just a drama geek to you. Honestly, why do you care?"

Jo blinks. "Just curious." She speeds up and passes him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I may have made some mistakes since I came here, but I'm not an idiot," Jo says. "I know I'm probably the next gone if we lose this challenge. And in all honesty, I'm not sure what to do about it except try to win. Obviously I can't make friends with any of the Maggots. God, why didn't I think of being nicer to them before?" She tosses her head back and forth. "No regrets. I'm this close to the merge, I can't give up now."

* * *

The Rats and Jo reach the end of the path at the same time. It sinks into a swamp littered with radioactive barrels and rotting trees. Opaque green bubbles rise in profusion at the surface.

"Ugh!" Anne Maria, Zoey, Dawn, and Jo cover their noses.

Scott closes his eyes and sniffs, the corners of his lips crawling upward. "Smells like home..."

"Do we really have to cross through here?" Anne Maria says.

As Zoey opens the map with her free hand, the other Maggots arrive. Brick's eyes wince, Mike pinches his nose with both hands, and Cameron's cheeks fill. Cameron swallows, covering his nose with other hand and rubbing his throat with the other.

"There's a path around the swamp, but it's longer," Zoey says.

"Let's get going," Jo says, glancing at her teammates. Everyone watches as she walks into the swamp, strain sitting around her eyes. The Maggots follow after her.

"There's no way I'm goin' in there," Anne Maria says. "I'll nevah get the smell outta my hair."

"If we avoid the swamp, we're likely to lose!" Dawn says.

Zoey shows the map to Anne Maria. "Look how long the path is. It's nearly twice as long as the swamp."

"Then isn't it obvious which way we should go?" Scott says, pointing at the swamp.

"What if we get mutated? There's barrels over there, and the water's radioactive green!" Anne Maria snaps.** [1]**

"We can wash off later. Do you want to see any of us get eliminated?" Zoey says.

Anne Maria's eyes cut through her. "Yes, you."

Zoey flinches. Then a crystalline hardness seeps into her features. She crushes the map into a ball and throws it far into the swamp. She whips toward Anne Maria. "We're going through the swamp. It doesn't matter whether you come or not."

Anne Maria watches with an open mouth as Zoey steps into the water. Scott comes right behind her, and Dawn stands still for a beat before following them. She looks back and meets Anne Maria's stare. "Come, please."

Anne Maria glances ahead, teeth locked together. She then walks forward, wincing as she enters the water.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I already get enough heat from people at my school," Zoey snaps. "There's only so much I can take. Surely I have the right to be mad, right? I was trying to show Anne Maria the swamp was more beneficial to our team, and she lashed out at me! I should have known she would answer my rhetorical question the way she did. I forgot she hates me as much as the popular girls back home."

* * *

Many yards away from the Rats, the Maggots splash through the water at a jogging pace. "Why don't we just swim? It'd be way faster," Jo says.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Cameron says. "You may experience some severe effects if you ingest any substances of high radioactivity. Worst case, you die. Second-worst case, you mutate."

Mike turns his head toward him. "What's the best case?"

Cameron pauses. "You feel nauseous for a while." He runs faster and leaves Brick, catching up to Mike. "Mike, are you okay? You've been pretty quiet today."

Mike meets his eyes for a split second. "I'm fine, Cameron."

"I've been wondering why you haven't called me Cam like before. Not that it's important, I just... liked it."

"Didn't I call you that, like, once?"

"Y-yeah, but..." Cameron slides his hands into his sweatshirt pocket and looks down. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"There's something I haven't told you about, but you might know."

Mike's gaze sharpens, holding a bit of an edge. "I do know."

"Oh," he whispers, his voice a little higher. "Look, Mike, I feel terrible for betraying your trust the way I did. If there's still a way we can stay friendly toward each other, I'd like to hear it. I'll do whatever it takes. I should have never taken advantage of you, it was wrong on a whole new level."

"It would've been nice if you asked me whether I wanted others to know about my disorder before spreading it around!"

Cameron falters in his step. "I didn't spread around your disorder."

"Scott said you did."

He stops rigid. "_Scott_? How does he know about your DID?" Almost instantly, he brings his hand to his face. "My notepad!"

Mike slows to a stop. His gaze loses its anger, though his eyes remain tense. "You took notes about me? And how did you find out I have DID?"

"You answered your own question just now. But the real thing I did was use your Chester personality to learn more about Scott. I'm sorry."

Brick comes up behind them. "Something wrong, troops?"

Mike and Cameron glance at each other. "Nope," they both say, and Brick passes them.

"How did you bring Chester out? Do you know how to control my other personalities too?" Mike says.

Cameron stares at him. "You're not mad?"

"Nah, I have more reason to be mad at_ Scott_ right now. Sorry I assumed he was right about you. Were you suspicious about him or something?" Mike sprouts a crooked grin. "Sorry, I'm probably giving you more questions than you can answer."

Cameron closes his eyes briefly and returns the grin. "No apologies needed. I already know how he really is, I just wanted to know what else he did. All I did was address Chester, and he came out of you. I believe you reacted negatively to his name, which acted as a stimulus for his appearance. I think I know how to bring out your other personalities too, but didn't your therapist tell you their stimuli?"

"He only told me Chester's because he wants me to try to live a 'normal life' instead of worrying about the less common personalities," Mike says. "Not that that's possible. I don't even _know_ how many times I've blacked out on this show so far."

Cameron's gaze sweeps the swamp and lands a few yards behind him, where large bubbles are clustering. "That's understandable in an environment like this. Well, you should know what makes them appear while you're on Total Drama. Can't have you going unconscious if you end up in the finale, right?"

Mike laughs short and flat. "I guess. Will you help me with that?"

The bubbles come toward Cameron, whose eyes shoot wide as though he were caught by surprise. "MIKE! RUN!"

Jo and Brick turn around. "What? Why?" Mike says. Cameron thrashes through the water and pulls him along. An alligator nearly the size of a two-story house rises like a tower behind them, the water leaving light tracks on its skin. It lets out a growl like a revving motorcycle that shakes the swamp.

"AHHHH!" The Maggots sprint toward a tree, water flying all around them. The alligator gives chase on its hind legs, octopus-like arms waving in the air. Mike stops and gasps, then turns around. He feels his head. "Hey, where's my lucky hat?" His voice sounds older with an Australian accent.

Manitoba scrutinizes the alligator with sharp squinted eyes, his cheek bending around his smirk. "Good arvo, gator! What a fine catch you'll be when_ I_ catch ya!" The alligator lunges at him. He ducks, and it crashes into the water.

"Is he insane?" Jo shouts.

"He won't go out alone!" Brick yells, doubling back.

Jo halts and watches him. "What the-"

"We're almost there!" Cameron says. Jo reaches the tree first and scrambles up it. Cameron climbs the tree's large roots and feels around for a foothold on the trunk.

"What, you're not gonna go back to repay Mike's favor?" Jo says. "Wise choice."

"What favor?"

"He rescued you from drowning earlier, but you were unconscious."

Cameron stops, his right foot up on the trunk. He looks back at Manitoba and Brick, eyes only partially focused. "That was him?" His gaze sharpens, and he drops his foot and runs toward the others.

"I'm the only one who cares about my life on this team," Jo mutters.

The Rats stop and stare at the alligator's back looming in front of them. "What the heck is that?" Scott whispers.

"See, this is why we shouldn't have taken the swamp!" Anne Maria snaps. She covers her mouth as the alligator turns halfway, looking at the Rats sideways while revealing Manitoba, Brick, and Cameron on its other side.

"Good, we have enough lads and lassies here!" Manitoba says. "Everyone stay down here and distract this critter. I'll be right back!" As he sprints up the swamp, the alligator poises to spring.

"Stop!" Dawn shouts. The alligator looks at her, and the other Rats shrink nearby. "We're sorry for disturbing you in your territory. We mean no harm to you or your friends, we only want to pass through as quickly as possible."

The alligator tilts its head. "Hm, I like your courtesy." All the teens except Dawn step away. Seven pale alligators of normal size and with octopus arms emerge from the trees and swim toward the group.

The teens turn to run. "Don't. They aren't coming to attack us," Dawn says. The alligators maneuver around them and stop at the largest alligator.

"We will grant you faster transport through our swamp," the largest alligator says. It lowers into the water, back facing Dawn.

"Get on their backs," Dawn tells the others, and climbs onto the largest alligator's back.

The other Rats and Cameron and Brick walk slowly toward the smaller alligators. "You sure about this, Dawn?" Anne Maria says.

"Positive." They climb onto five different alligators, and the group of alligators glide down the swamp. When they reach Jo's tree, Dawn tells Jo to come down and ride an alligator. Jo opens her mouth, then blinks at the other contestants riding. She obeys without protest.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo blinks slowly twice. "I felt like I was in the twilight zone."

* * *

The alligators reach the end of the swamp, which leads into a dirt clearing. The campers get off and walk onto land. "Thank you for your kindness, dears!" Dawn says.

Teens and alligators alike stare at her in question. Manitoba sails toward the largest alligator on a vine, holding a sharp stick. "Watch out!" Dawn cries. Yanking the vine free, Manitoba slams into the alligator, and they both disappear. A few ground-shaking roars later, the alligator floats to the surface with many rings of the vine around its snout. Manitoba hops onto land before the smaller alligators can attack him, wearing his usual acute smirk.

Manitoba gasps, and his smirk wipes off his face. He stares down at his drenched clothes, then looks behind him. The alligators point a tentacle at their eyes, then at him in one fluid motion. They sink under.

Mike turns around to see everyone looking at him. He chuckles weakly. "Um... I see the key next to you, Brick."

Brick looks at a tarnished gold key dangling on a bush next to him. "Oh."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"Dissociative Identity Disorder works in fascinating ways," Cameron says. "One's personalities can have different levels of strength, different talents, different anything really. They're just like actual humans, except without their own bodies." His eyes flash wider. "Mike's personality Manitoba is something else though, in terms of strength _and_ hobbies."

* * *

Sam and Dakota come out of the trees. "Hi guys!" Sam says.

"Sam! What are you doing here?" Brick says.

The Maggots walk to the middle of the clearing, and Sam approaches them. "Dakota and I have to dig Noah and Eva up if their air runs out."

"Can you tell us where they are?" Jo says.

"Nope, that's cheating. Against the competition rules."

Jo turns away from him. "Great. I guess we'll just have to start digging then."

Cameron leans down and cups his hands around his mouth. "NOAH! EVA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

No noise is heard for several seconds. Then a faint banging comes from underground. "KEEP DOING THAT!" Cameron yells, getting on his hands and knees. He crawls a few yards toward the entrance, turning his ear to the ground. He jumps to his feet and points directly in front of him. "Right here!"

* * *

"I find it interesting how your banging is actually louder than your screaming," Noah says, sitting up and eyeing the splintering wall next to Eva.

Eva gives him a grin that makes her face almost friendly. "Lots of practice."

* * *

The Rats watch the Maggots begin to dig. "We have to find another key fast!" Zoey says.

Dawn turns to Scott. "That must be what the metal detector's for!"

"I'm on it." Scott flips the metal detector and sweeps it over the ground.

"Hurry!" Anne Maria says.

"I'm looking!" Scott snaps. He swings the metal detector around him, then walks deeper into the clearing with it.

"We're destined to lose," Dawn says. She glances at Anne Maria and Zoey, who glance back at her.

Sam walks back to Dakota, who is sitting under a tree and texting. She looks up, her eyes dull.

Sam's expression softens, his eyebrows nearly curving like question marks. "What's the matter? is something wrong?"

"It's my dad. He won't take me home until the show is over."

A gleam passes in Sam's eyes. His bottom lip disappears briefly, then his expression becomes neutral. "You're still not used to the intern work?"

"I'll_ never_ get used to the intern work," Dakota says.

"I can always help you with it, if you want."

Dakota stands up. "Aw, Sam, that's sweet of you. Only if you have free time though, 'kay?"

"Sure thing," Sam says. Dakota leans against the tree and resumes her texting. Sam looks at her for a beat, then at the ground.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

"I think I might've been getting my hopes up as usual," Sam says. "Dakota hasn't officially friendzoned me yet, but I can feel it coming. She seems a little distant whenever I talk to her." His eyes flick away from the camera, looking deep and heavy. "Maybe... maybe she gave me her phone number so we could just be friends."

* * *

The Maggots have dug a pit five feet deep. Cameron examines his dirt-caked nails, Mike wipes a dirty hand across his forehand, and Brick is breathing fast through his nose while digging. Jo pushes her hand into the dirt and drags it along, closing her eyes. She opens them and stops. "I feel something!"

Cameron, Mike, Brick straighten with a new vigor in their posture. "Is it the chest?" Mike says.

Jo wipes dirt off the surface of the object. A gold lock with a keyhole appears. "It is!"

"Oh thank God! Thank the Lord! Hallelujah!" Brick, Mike, and Cameron say. **[2]**

A helicopter flies over the clearing. "And the Maggots win both parts of today's challenge!" Chris says. Scott growls and throws the metal detector down.

Zoey pats his shoulder. "Hey, you tried your best Scott."

He buries his face in his hands. "I'm getting booted out today, I just know it."

Zoey looks back at Dawn, who watches them. Dawn meets her eyes and props up one eyebrow. Zoey forms a thin line of her mouth barely curving into a smile.

Brick hands Jo the key, and she opens the chest. The lid flips open by Eva's force, and Eva leaps out. "_FREEDOM_!"

The Maggots back up from her. Noah climbs out after, clutching his book and his flashlight. "Well, that was fun."

"Really?" Jo says. Noah forms a do-you-even-know-me expression.

"Everybody back to the campgrounds!" Chris says. "The Rats have another round of voting to do."

Eva shakes her fist at him. "Come down here so I can pummel you, you son of a Chris!"

"Whoa ho ho, burn!" Noah high-fives Eva.

"Son of a Chris?" Chef says. "... BAHAHAHAHA!"

The contestants' laughter pours in. "HAHAHAHA!"

Chris' face has turned scarlet. "What kind of insult is that? I'm not a son of myself."

"Chris," Noah says, "if you don't understand what Eva said, you are truly a hopeless case."

"No, no, he's a hopeless Chris!" Eva says, and the uproarious laughter renews.

Chris darkens to full-on crimson. "Argh! Back to the campgrounds!"

* * *

As the teams walk toward their cabins, Scott puts his hand on Zoey's arm. "Zoey, could I talk with you for a sec?" he whispers.

"Um, sure-" He whisks her to the side of their cabin.

He lets go. "Sorry, I just didn't want anyone hearing us. I have a favor to ask of you. If you are willing, could you vote for Anne Maria tonight?"

Zoey blinks several times. "Anne Maria?... I don't know."

"I thought you two didn't like each other. This is pretty much my only chance to stay in the game. You don't have to if you don't want to, but I think I want to be here more than Anne Maria does. I mean, she was refusing to take the swamp path today even though it was shorter." A glimpse of something desperate shines in his eyes, and Zoey looks away. "I need this, Zoey. Could you do it?"

Zoey's gaze lingers on his chin before going back to his eyes. "I'll think about it."

"Thank you, that's all I need," Scott breathes. He turns around and heads inside the cabin, leaving Zoey staring after him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Honestly, I've run out of steam for Anne Maria after today," Zoey says. "I'm really more interested in competing with her after the merge than voting her off. It might gain me a little more respect from her if I beat her at something, and both of those are all I really want. I mean, what better way is there to win than on Total Drama?" She chuckles. "That's a little biased, I guess."

She puts her fist on her chin. "But the look on Scott's face... I could barely look at it. He wants to be here badly."

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

Mike and Cameron sit on their beds, the only people in the guys' bedroom. Mike's eyes go down as Cameron writes in his notepad. He leans over his bed. "Cameron?"

"Hm?"

"I didn't get a chance to, um, hear your answer about whether you would help me with my disorder and all."

Cameron looks up from his notepad, a smile reclining on his lips. "Yeah, sorry about that, bad timing with the alligators. Course I'll help you, Mike."

Mike lets loose a gigantic grin, bringing sparks to his eyes. "Really? Thanks a ton! I'd give you a hug right now, but you look busy, heh."

"Actually, I'm working on figuring out your personalities. I'll show you what I have so far, hold on." Cameron flips over numerous pages rapidly before he stops and passes his notepad up. "Here."

"Thanks!" Mike holds it below his eyes and reads. "Chester is triggered by my anxiety... Svetlana by physically-challenging tasks that I can't perform... Vito when my shirt comes off? Sorry, I'm just trying to drill this into my head. I don't really read out loud."

"Take your time," Cameron says.

A few minutes later, Mike puts down the notepad, air hissing through his mouth. "I can't remember any of these events you wrote down of when my personalities showed up. I'm pretty sure I blacked out today." He holds his head in his hand. "I remember we were talking, and then..."

"Then Manitoba came out."

Mike raises his head. "That must've been why I was soaking wet when I woke up."

Cameron fidgets. "Yeah, he did a lot with the biggest alligator."

"Like what?"

"Due to the risk of Chester coming out of you, I'm keeping that to myself for now."

"Oh dear God. He wrestled it, didn't he?"

"Yup."

Mike takes a deep breath. "... Okay, I think I'm good. Sort of. I can count on you to keep my DID a secret, right?"

"As your second psychologist, it will be just between us unless you decide otherwise." Cameron puts a hand to his chest. "I won't tell a living soul."

"You're free to tell people already in their graves, I won't mind."

"What?"

Mike chuckles. "It's a joke."

"Oh, right. Heheh."

* * *

The Rats all sit on the front row of stumps in front of the campfire. Dawn crosses her legs and wiggles her foot while sitting in between Anne Maria and Zoey. Anne Maria has her legs in the same position as she stares around at the trees. Scott sits next to Zoey and catches her eye, which flits away a beat later.

"Well Rats, this is actually your first losing streak this season," Chris says. "How does it feel, I wonder?"

"It's not exactly a streak if we've only lost twice," Anne Maria snaps.

Chef leans toward Chris' ear. "She has a point."

"Fine, you've lost twice in a row. Happy?" Chris picks up the tray of marshmallows on the podium. "The following players are safe for tonight."

"Dawn." Dawn puts her hands on Anne Maria's and Zoey's back briefly before going up.

"Dawn is the only one who didn't receive a vote tonight," Chris says. Zoey stares ahead, Anne Maria stares at her, and Scott glances at Anne Maria and Dawn. "The player whose name I call next will be the next _loser_. Meaning they'll be receiving the toxic marshmallow and riding the catapult out of here tonight. That player is... _Scott_."

Scott shoots up from his seat. He fumbles in his pocket for a few seconds before pulling out a statue of Chris' head. "Actually, Chris, I'm gonna stay right here."

Dawn looks like a deer got crushed in front of her eyes, while Zoey's and Anne Maria's faces hold much less horror. Their mouths open as if to bite an apple, but remain fixed. Chris' grin radiates a vigorous and somewhat maniacal energy. "Ohohoho! You've got the invincibility statue, I see! Well then, Scott, you can take your marshmallow right here, and we can get this show down the road. It's tiebreaker time!"

Scott saunters to the podium and pops a marshmallow in his mouth, an ever-so-slight smirk on his face as he sits down. "Anne Maria, Zoey, have we got a challenge for you! I will be giving you trivia questions about people who have been eliminated on this season so far. Whoever answers correctly first gets a point, and the first one to rack up three points wins the tiebreaker. You two ready?"

"Yes," Anne Maria and Zoey say, and stand up. They glance at each other: Both have competitive spirit in their eyes.

"Who was eliminated second?"

"Staci, thank God," Anne Maria says. Zoey shuts her eyes and breathes in, straightening up slightly.

"That is correct. Who was eliminated fourth?"

Anne Maria and Zoey exchange glances. Anne Maria looks up at the sky, and Zoey looks down. Soon, Zoey opens her mouth. "Lightning?"

"Correct. The score is currently tied. Who was eliminated first?"

A pause. "B?" Anne Maria says.

"Incorrect," Chris says.

"Dakota," Zoey says. "She came back by hang glider the day after."

"That is correct. Zoey, you're now leading by one point. One more right answer and you win." Anne Maria's jaw is taut, her face shining with sweat. "Who was eliminated fifth?"

"Sam!" Anne Maria shouts, making Zoey jump.

"Correct."

"Some synonyms for 'correct' are 'right', 'yes', and 'affirmative'," Chef mutters.

"Hush, I'm trying to sound professional here," Chris says. "The score is now tied. Whoever gets this last question will not be going home tonight. Who was eliminated third?"

"B!" Anne Maria and Zoey shout.

"I have to say that Zoey said his name first," Chris says. "Anne Maria, it's time for your time on the catapult."

The tension leaks out of Anne Maria's face, leaving her expression deflated. "Wow," Zoey says, posture relaxing. "That was a close one."

Dawn walks to Anne Maria and envelops her in her arms. A second later, Anne Maria hugs her back. "Sorry you have to go," Dawn says, her voice scratchy. "It's all my fault."

Anne Maria lets go. "Don't put any blame on yourself, doll. Blame the show."

Scott raises one corner of his mouth in an apologetic way, though his eyes are aloof. "Bye Anne Maria. Take care."

"I will, thanks," Anne Maria says, and turns to Chris. "I'm ready."

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Anne Maria's legs hang over the spoon of the catapult, and she crosses her arms flat. "Dawn, keep up the aura-readin' and all that, okay? You're creepy good at it." Dawn nods mechanically, wrapping her arms around herself. She holds a fragile composure on her face which twitches frequently.

Zoey walks up to the catapult. She puts her hands in her pockets. "Uh, sorry we had to do a tiebreaker, Anne Maria."

Anne Maria waves a hand. "Eh, it happened. I'll get to see my gal pals soon enough, I'm happy about that." Her gaze at Zoey goes still. "I was feelin' pretty lonely here anyway." She turns her head away, and Zoey takes her hands out from her pockets.

"How so?" Zoey says.

Anne Maria's head whips back to her, eyes flashing like hot coals. She opens her mouth.** WHOOSH! **Her figure flies through the air, growing smaller and smaller by the second.

The camera zooms in on Chris. "Well, that's the end of yet another contestant's run on the show. We have seven campers left, and only six spots for the merge people! Who will be our top six? Find out when we come back next time, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: ANNE MARIA

"Looks like Miss Goody-Goody has a backbone after all. After that show she put up, I actually respect her a little more. But I ain't dumb, I know she's tryin' to make me the odd one out so I get voted off tonight. And for that, she deserves my vote. Sorry Dawn, but I just don't see what's the big deal about Scott after his big blunder."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I hate to let anyone down, but Dawn's my friend unlike Scott. I owe Dawn more than anything. She's the first friend I've had in a long time, and maybe voting with her will give me luck in keeping her."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Anne Maria's obviously the odd one out on our team, so it's just easier to keep Dawn and Zoey around. Plus, Dawn's ability to talk to animals could be useful to me after the merge. I choose Dawn and Zoey as my allies for the merge, and I'm weeding Anne Maria out. Simple as that."

* * *

VOTE CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Though the spirits tell me otherwise, I will vote for Scott. He's the only one I want to vote for. Oh, I hope there are no bad consequences..."

* * *

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- Sorry to anyone who wanted to see Dakota come back as a contestant, but at least she didn't mutate this time, right?

**[2]**\- "You may or may not notice a pattern here." ~My profile

Reviews are appreciated. I always reply to them if they're at least a sentence. :-)


	15. A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste (P1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

My poll has received many more votes since my last update! Jo is now in the lead, though I am intrigued by the amount of votes for certain contestants. This chapter should make who's going next clearer, or at least narrow the choices down.

After two grueling weeks of schoolwork before the end of the semester and a cold in the middle of it all, I'm pleasantly surprised I made my deadline! There will be many, many interactions in this episode, and I hope you all will enjoy reading them. Fingers crossed.

* * *

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Dawn, Zoey, Scott

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Jo, Mike, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam, Anne Maria

**RECAP**

Chris stands on the dock with Lake Wawanakwa at his back. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: We drugged the teenagers and sent them adrift in the middle of this lake. Ha, hilarious! The main details: Zoey stabbed a mutant octopus in the eye, and Mike saved Cameron's life. Then Cameron saved his. Then Dawn convinced some alligators to take everyone across the swamp, including the other team, costing her team the win. But hey, she saved us a bunch of lawsuits. Zoey finally stood up to Anne Maria, who both became the bottom two at elimination thanks to Scott's immunity idol. Shocking, except for me. They participated in a difficult tiebreaker game that Zoey won, and Anne Maria was chucked into the sky.

"Well, this is it! Seven contestants competing to be in the merge, but only six spots available. Who will be cut out before the contest_ really_ begins?"

Owen walks into view with a glass of pink lemonade on a platter. "Here, Chris. Fresh-squeezed with six ice cubes, right?"

"Where's the lemon wedge I asked for?" Chris says.

Owen puts a hand behind his head. "Well, um, I kinda dipped it in sugar and then ate it."

Chris lets out a "huhhhh" of a sigh. "Remind me to never have you bring me food again."

Owen salutes him. "Yes sir!"

The sound of chopping breaks the air. A helicopter lowers behind Chris, blowing his and Owen's hair sideways. "THIS IS THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION," a man's voice blares. "YOU'RE BUSTED, MCLEAN!"

"Aw, man! Meddling tree-huggers!" Chris takes out a walkie-talkie and brings it near his mouth. "Launch Operation Doomsday! Repeat, Operation Doomsday! Over." He shuts off the walkie-talkie and faces the camera. "What is Operation Doomsday, you ask? Find out right here, right now, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"** [1]**

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

The sun lays low in a sky with scattered clouds. Birds with three eyes sing soothingly from the trees, occasionally silenced by a hungry naked squirrel. Both doors of the Maggots' cabin open, and Brick and Jo step out.

Brick turns to Jo right away, but she first tilts her head up and does a slow yawn. She smacks her lips together; her gaze shifts sideways, and she finally turns around. "What are you doing here, Crew Cut?"

Brick's lips inch up a bit. "I'm going jogging, same as you."

"How'd you know I'm going jogging?"

"I remember from when we crashed into each other a long time ago."

Jo's eyes flash. "Oh yeah, you have a hard head. My own was aching for a while."

"Thanks?"

Jo pinches her arm. "I'm still not fully awake. I've been jogging off my slowness in the mornings before the challenges. It jogs my memory too. Pinch me, will you?"

Brick stiffens. "What?"

"I said, pinch me." Jo holds her arm out, and Brick stares at it. "Maybe I can actually jog awake this time."

"Why can't you do it yourself?"

"... You're stronger than me."

Brick's expression settles into a neutral state, besides the increased alertness of his eyes. "Guess that's one more point for me, huh? But I don't want to hurt you, so I won't."

She chuckles. "I'm just messing with you. Do you have your own code of nonviolence?"

"I do, in fact."

"Typical. Well, I'm off." Jo jogs down the steps.

"Wait, Jo!" She stops at the bottom. "I have something I want to ask you."

"You can ask me while I'm jogging. That is, if you can keep up."

Brick's mouth tips into a smirk, without any smugness. "I'm quite sure I can." He descends the steps as Jo heads for the woods, and he quickly catches up. "So, weren't you leading the Maggots before I switched over? What happened?"

Jo tilts her head down, putting her face in shadow. "I... I'm not sure if I was ever leading them. They all kept leaving me behind."

"I'm sure there was some time when you were. You should keep trying, just don't be too bossy."

They enter the woods, their shadows blotting out sunlight on the path. Jo raises her head. "I thought leading was your job now?"

"Eh, sometimes. I didn't get into it until this show, but it's actually pretty fun. We could take turns."

"Yeah, well, Pointy and Toothpick_ like_ you. I haven't treated them well, so they don't like me being in charge. While I was focusing on winning the challenges, I completely ignored my social game, meaning I'm screwed if we lose today."

"You can change things, Jo. In fact, you can start by nixing Mike's and Cameron's nicknames. There's a bunch of things you could do! I mean, look at me, I went from scrawny wimp to strong cadet." Brick chuckles. "The younger me could only dream of jogging eight kilometers. My point is, more difficult deeds have been accomplished."

"That's easy for you to say. You're nice naturally. I don't do niceness."

"You just paid me a compliment, I'd say that's a start."

A faint smile crosses Jo's lips. "If you want to interpret it that way, sure, whatever. You really were scrawny once?"

"Yes indeed, ma'am."

"I'll have to come up with a new nickname for you."

"Anything without pants-wetting being mentioned, I can endure. You should really wean off of nicknames though."

"I dunno, it's kinda fun coming up with yours. Why do you care so much about nicknames having to with that anyway?" Jo's face splits into a grin. "Oh, I have the perfect nickname! _Pee_-wee. Get it?"** [2]**

Brick tips forward, his face wincing. "I change my mind, anything but_ that_."

Jo blinks, gaze centered on him. "Okay, sure. Um, I'll think of another one later."

Brick nods. His eyes circle around the woods, a glassy film going in and out of them.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"All of my friends are guys, so it should be no surprise to me that I'm acquainting myself with Brick," Jo says. "It's just that he's different from all my other friends. More civil, I guess." She wiggles her head sideways. "Wait, what am I talking about? We're not friends yet."

* * *

**TOXIC RATS' CABIN**

Anne Maria's top bunk is now vacant. Dawn lies completely covered underneath, her face in her pillow. Zoey kneels beside her, looking both as if she did something wrong and is working on a particularly difficult puzzle. "Dawn, I still don't understand._ How_ is Anne Maria's elimination your fault? If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for beating her in the tiebreaker."

A voice, heavy and retiring, crawls out of the pillow. "I knew something bad was going to happen. I knew that Scott himself was bad news. And what did I do? Respect his privacy, even though he doesn't deserve it. I should have read into his aura, searched through his memories, picked out his intentions..."

"You were just being polite, there's nothing wrong with that. But you're still refraining from reading auras?"

"Well, not Anne Maria's, but she had a pretty open aura."

"I really don't think you should suppress your ability like that. And not so you can figure out other people's plans, but for the sake of your emotional health." She pauses. "Not that there's anything wrong with uncovering schemes, but you know what I mean."

_Knock knock_. Zoey turns to the door. "Who's there?"

"Hi Zoey, it's Cameron. Is Dawn there?"

Zoey's mouth falls open a bit as she looks at Dawn. "Let him in," Dawn says.

"Yup. Come in!" Zoey says to Cameron.

Zoey's gaze stays on Dawn as Cameron comes in and stands beside Zoey. "Are you feeling sick, Dawn? You should lie on your side, that's the best position for your lungs to breathe in."

"I'm not sick," Dawn murmurs.

Cameron puts his arm behind his head. "Do you want me to, um, come back later?"

"No, stay. Is it about Scott?"

"Yes, actually. You really do seem like a mind-reader sometimes."

A muffled chuckle comes from the pillow. "It was just an educated guess. You can say it in front of Zoey, she needs to hear this."

"I do?" Zoey says.

"Alright," Cameron says. "So, I figured out Scott's strategy in this competition. Besides Lightning, he was also behind B's elimination and tricked Mike into thinking I spread a rumor about him in camp."

"Wait a second,_ Scott_ told Mike that?" Zoey says.

Cameron blinks. "Did Mike tell you Scott's lie?"

She lowers her eyelids in a deadpan expression. "Yeah, but how do you know Scott was lying?"

He lurches backward. "Because I didn't do it!"

Zoey stands up. "And how do I know_ you're_ not lying?"

Dawn lifts her head up, showing bags under her eyes. "Cameron's my friend, you can trust him."

"Are you sure you know him completely?"

"I read his aura thoroughly at the beginning of the season, so yes."

"She gave me a thorough description of it too, except for the color," Cameron says.

Dawn's lips tilt sideways, a hint of a smile. "It's yellow-orange."

"Neat! Though I don't know what that means, heh."

"It means you have a cheerful nature, though you are prone to anxiety. You are creative, hard-working, and hold a healthy sense of realism. You believe in fairness and owning up to your mistakes, and that others should believe the same way. You have a keen eye and intuition as well."

"Sounds about right, I think. Anyway, what I was saying?"

"You were going to tell us Scott's strategy," Zoey says.

"Oh yeah. My suspicions were confirmed after Mike told me Scott's lie- he's trying to get everyone he considers a threat eliminated. Lightning was a challenge threat, B was a genius, and Scott knows that I'm on to him and could uncover his ploy."

"Which you just did," Zoey says.

"Exactly."

"You're a genius as well," Dawn says, smile as bright as her eyes.

"Mental activities are my strength, yes. I trust you two will vote off Scott if you lose today?"

Dawn's smile fades into a scowl. "Better yet, we could throw the challenge."

"That might be best, actually, in case he's really good at the post-merge challenges."

"Is that allowed?" Zoey asks.

Dawn and Cameron glance at each other. "We don't know," Dawn says, "but it's worth a try."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I didn't know Dawn and Cameron were friends," Zoey says. "They seem rather close too! There might even be a bit of something else between them. Maybe I should try to get to know Cameron better. But still..." She brushes her hands up and down her thighs. "I feel like him and Dawn are talking about someone else instead of Scott. He's been nothing but nice to the whole team since he switched. But he did use that invincibility idol last night, which I didn't expect out of him. If everything Cameron said is true, then I may not know Scott at all."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Zoey cares about Mike more than she knows," Dawn says. "I am finished with avoiding confrontation. I may have been discouraged from my first time with Zoey and my time with Brick, but now I see restraining myself has done more harm than good. I'll address Zoey about Mike when, or if, the perfect opportunity arises."

* * *

The Rats and Maggots pass by a meat truck into the main lodge. They spread out in the room, being the only source of noise and activity. The tables are swept clean, and Chef's window is empty.

"Where's Chef?" Jo says.

"Never mind about him, where's breakfast?" Scott says.

"Maybe it ran off?" Mike says, which gets several chuckles.

"In all seriousness, I'd rather starve than eat Chef's food," Zoey says. "But how are we supposed to get our nutrition?"

"There was a meat truck outside we could go to," Cameron says, jerking a thumb at the door.

The teens go back outside to see that the back of the truck is now open, showing slabs of frozen meat hanging by hooks on the ceiling. "Um, wasn't that door closed before?" Mike says.

"I believe so..." Dawn says.

"I'll see what's going on," Brick says, walking forward. Everyone watches as he steps up the ramp and into the back. He makes a full rotation. "All clear!"

They walk inside the truck. Cameron trails in the rear, scanning his surroundings. He walks inside, and the door slams shut. All light disappears.

The campers gasp. Cameron whips around and hits the door with his palms, only producing a motionless _clang_. "I knew it! It's a trap!"

A dim light flickers on from the ceiling. A slot opens on the opposite wall, revealing Chef's eyes. "Attention fresh meat! Heheh. You will now be enjoying your free transportation to the challenge site."

"Enjoying?" Zoey says, sitting with her arms wrapped around herself.

"That's right. Enjoy it while you can, 'cause today's challenge is gonna be a doozy. Your rations!" Chef scatters granola bars on the floor and shuts the slot.

The campers pick them up, and Scott holds one out to her. "At least it isn't Chef's food, right?"

The corners of Zoey's lips rise as if pulled by strings. She takes it without looking at him. "Mhm, thanks."

"Zoey..." Scott sits beside her and puts his legs out. "Listen, I don't know how to phrase this, but something happened last night that I don't understand. That tie between you and Anne Maria should not have happened. I have good guesses about everyone's votes including yours, but I don't want to make any assumptions. That's why I need confirmation from you. I'm sorry I'm accusing you, but did you vote for me?"

"No- I-" The truck begins moving, and Zoey edges up on the wall. "Okay, yes. I did, Scott. I didn't expect you to pull out the invincibility statue."

Scott chuckles. "I didn't either. I-" The truck lurches, sending the only people standing, Jo and Brick, to the ground. Scott clutches the wall. "Geez, this truck. Anyway, I found it early in the competition. I didn't think I'd need it unless I lost a challenge for my team, which I did yesterday, but I thought I was safe with you on my side." Zoey's mouth parts wide. "But it's fine! Really, it is. I had to use the idol _sometime_ before the merge."

"Wow, you really mean that?" She tightens up as a series of bumps shake the interior.

Scott speaks after the ride smooths out somewhat. "Of course! Why would I lie to you?"

"You lied to me before about having one chance to stay in the game."

His eyes deepen to the color of an ocean at nighttime, raw coldness preserved. "That was sort of a test, to see if I could depend on you. What made you vote for me, I wonder?"

The view switches to Mike and Cameron, who sit on the opposite wall. Cameron chews and swallows a piece of his granola bar. "I don't think confronting Scott is the best idea. You shouldn't be picking fights in a moving truck."

Mike's hands curl and uncurl. "I'm not planning to fight him, just give him a piece of my mind." He watches Scott talk to Zoey, who soon leans away from him, eyes glancing around. Mike springs up with one hand against the wall. "He's making Zoey uncomfortable, that's my cue."

"Mike, wait!" Cameron says. Mike strides across to Zoey's free side and sits down. A sour look scrunches Scott's features, but disappears as quickly as it came.

Zoey switches around to Mike. "Mike! Hi!"

"Hi Zoey." Mike meets eyes with Scott, who gives the exclusive smile that friends exchange with each other. Mike's expression remains like stone, and the smile falls. Scott stands up and moves away.

Zoey watches him go, then looks at Mike. "Mind telling me what that was about?"

"It's just a simple thing, really. Scott's a liar. He told me that Cameron told everyone t-"

"I know. He said Cameron was spreading that rumor about you, right?"

The anger wipes off Mike's face. "Right. How did you know that?"

"Cameron told me really recently."

"Huh. Well, just keep in mind that Scott can't be trusted, no matter how nice he acts."

"Yeah, I keep hearing that from people. No worries, I'll be careful."

"Good." A giant bump sends everyone into the air, and Mike and Zoey crash together sideways.

"OOF!" They rub where their shoulders hit, eyes wincing. "Sorry."

They look at each other and share a small fit of laughter. Mike scoots back to where he was before. "You know, I miss us being on the same team."

"Yeah, me too," Zoey says, the brightness of laughter in her tone. "We'll probably see each other at the merge though."

"Yup, can't wait. Being on a team has been stressful for me."

"Ditto."

"Nice, heh." Zoey snickers. **[3]**

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike forms his hands into fists on his knees. "There's something about being manipulated that just gets under my skin. Scott made me feel like I was in an environment like my school, for no reason. And now he has knowledge of my disorder that he can do whatever with, like_ really_ share it with everyone." He releases his fists. "I should probably be mad at Cameron too, but it doesn't feel like what he did affected me, to be honest. Unlike Scott, I can understand his motive. It wasn't like he was trying to hurt me. Plus, he's helping me control my personalities." He grins. "I can't think of a better way for him to make it up to me."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I like Mike, I really do," Zoey says. "He's kind, clever, hilarious, and a thousand other things. At the same time, I can't help but wonder what parts of him I don't know about. I mean, he wrestled down a_ mutant alligator_ yesterday, how did he manage that? And he's certainly a brilliant actor, but he bursts so spontaneously into these random characters that I don't understand why he does. It makes me feel like I'm missing something big about him, which isn't so pleasant after finding out the same about Scott."

* * *

The truck jolts to a stop at a mine. Toxic waste barrels are littered next to a monitor near the entrance. From this monitor, Chris watches as the contestants stumble out onto the grass. Cameron sits down cross-legged, cupping the sides of his face in his hands and looking battered.

"Good, you're here! _Finally_," Chris says. "Today's challenge is to find a golden Chris statue in your team color, hidden somewhere in this old abandoned mine. First team back, wins!" Chef comes out with seven backpacks on his arms and throws them onto the ground. The teens pick them up. "In each backpack, you will find a chemical badge, a flashlight-"

"Wait, did you say chemical badge?" Cameron says.

"Yup! I rented the mine out to store hazardous material." A collective gasp arises.

"Mother Earth, forgive him!" Dawn cries.

"Relax, it's perfectly safe- for an hour," Chris says. "When your badge turns orange, you have fifteen minutes left. Red is your five-minute warning, and if you see a skull and crossbones, we'll dedicate this episode to you! But no way is it gonna come to that. Two of our classic competitors are coming down with you all, and they'll lead you out if the time cuts too close. And trust me, they're well-equipped for evacuation. Introducing, Gwen and Trent!"

Gwen and Trent walk into view, wearing the same backpacks as the contestants. "Hey guys! What's up?" Trent says.

"Oh, nothing much, just entering a mine that may or may not mutate us," Scott says.

Trent chuckles. "Don't worry dude, you'll be fine."

"The only real danger in there is the smell," Gwen says. "By the way, I'm here against my will. Wouldn't want anyone to think otherwise."

"Way to show enthusiasm Gwen!" Chris says. "Gwen will be with the Rats, and Trent with the Maggots. So you're not pestering them for hints of where the statues are, here's the only one you're getting: It's pretty _straightforward_. Now move, move, MOVE!"

The teens race toward the entrance with Trent and Gwen at the head. "Good luck Gwen!" Trent says.

"Thanks, you too!" Gwen says. She and Trent arrive at a lone elevator with a wide gap around it. Barely pausing, they leap across. Jo, Brick, and Mike follow, then the elevator begins to tremble.

Mike looks around. "What's going o-" They all scream as the elevator plummets.

Dawn, Zoey, Cameron, and Scott stare down the black hole with stunned expressions. "Where'd they go?" Zoey cries.

"How are we supposed to follow them?" Scott says.

Cameron motions to the thick wiry ropes above the elevator. "Fireman's pole, anyone?"

Dawn eyes the hole and swallows. "I don't like the sound of that..."

"I'll go down first, make sure it's safe for you ladies," Scott says, also glancing at Cameron, whose eyes twitch. Scott jumps and grabs onto a rope, then slides his way down in intervals. Soon he disappears into darkness.

"How is it, Scott?" Zoey yells down.

"Well, first of all, I should've turned on my flashlight first. I can't tell how close to the ground I a- wait, I feel it! I'm down!" A pig-like squeal shoots up through the hole. "AHHHHH!"

"What tortured soul is that?" Dawn cries.

"Scott!" Zoey yells, and is answered by the faint sound of running.

"Quick, this is the best time to go down!" Cameron jumps onto a rope.

"Why's that?" Zoey says.

"Because the creature's too busy chasing Scott!" Cameron calls from further down. Zoey takes the same rope, and Dawn takes the other one.

Gwen, Trent, Jo, Brick, and Mike step out from the elevator. "Thank God Scott showed up," Mike says.

"Gee, I just hope he doesn't get eaten," Brick says. "What was _that _doing here?"

"You should be asking what_ we're_ doing here," Jo says.

"We should go help him!"

"Yeah, if you really care that little about your own flesh."

Gwen rummages through her backpack and takes out a flashlight. She turns it on, illuminating everyone's faces. "It's useless to search for anyone or anything without light."

The others copy her. "You should stay here until your team comes down," Trent says. "Wouldn't want to lose any more people."

Gwen puts her hands on her hips, lips cutting into a smirk. "What, so you can get the lead on us?"

"No! I just meant that it's the wisest move in a big mine like this. You can't leave the others stranded."

"I know, I was teasing. You're missing a person too, you know."

Trent rubs the back of his neck. "Oh, yeah. Heheh."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: GWEN (The Goth Chick)

Gwen's eyes move around the bathroom. "I can't believe I'm back here again. It's like reliving a nightmare that actually happened. I was hoping I wouldn't end up demonstrating for the newbies, but look where I am now. I can't wait for my contract on this stupid show to expire. Well, at least I'm with Trent. But Chris probably did that to mock me about our past." She flips her eyes up and blinks. "And he _definitely_ put me in an underground challenge to try and freak me out. Well, guess what Chris? I'm gonna be focusing on leading the Rats out of the mine, nothing more. You won't break my concentration."

* * *

Cameron, Zoey, and Dawn land on top of the elevator, catching everyone's attention. "You guys rode the ropes down?" Gwen says.

"Yup, it was the only other way we could use," Cameron says.

"Nice. Let's get going!" Both teams advance into the tunnel.

Scott sprints toward a pond, a blind human-size gopher close behind him. He dives into the water, and the gopher makes a big splash in the same spot a few seconds later. Scott propels himself away from it in the midst of it searching blindly. He pulls himself up on the other end and scrambles to his feet. "Smooth moves Scott, completely isolating yourself from your team," he mutters.

"Who's there?" Trent calls from the other side of the pond. Scott turns around and shields his eyes from everyone's flashlights.

"Scott! Thank goodness you're in one piece!" Brick says.

"You might want to avoid the water, the thing that was chasing me's in there," Scott says.

The 'thing' mentioned climbs out of the pond and bares its teeth at the teens, who back away. It lunges at them, and they break off in different directions. Everyone except Cameron dives into the water. The gopher advances on him, and he takes several steps back, glancing behind him.

He pulls off his sweatshirt, revealing a red t-shirt underneath, and chucks it behind the gopher. It turns around and gives chase, and Cameron races on the side of the pond.

Jo pops up at the other end, gasping for breath. "We need to put some distance between us and that!"

Brick arises beside her, eyes round and shiny. "You got that right."

Jo looks up and sees Cameron in front of her, bending over on his knees. "Hey, how'd you get here first? And why aren't you wet?"

"I ran," Cameron says between pants.

"Where's your sweatshirt?"

"On the other side." Trent and Mike show up at the same time. "We have to hurry! That gopher's not gonna stay distracted for long."

"That thing's a _gopher_?" Trent says, looking behind him.

"Sadly, yes," Cameron replies. After Trent and Mike get on their feet, the Maggots set off.

Zoey and Gwen reach the end next, followed by Dawn. Scott helps Zoey up, but when he offers his hand to Dawn, she turns her eyes away and wriggles onto land by herself. She takes Gwen's outstretched hand and stands up. They continue forward, Scott giving Dawn scrutinizing glances.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

Scott hooks a finger around his chin. "I don't know what made Zoey vote for me instead of Anne Maria last night, but maybe it's more a matter of _who_. I've been having this vague sense that Dawn doesn't like me, and it's only becoming clearer and clearer."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"String Be- I mean, Cameron- did something back there," Jo says. "He couldn't have outrun the gopher, and that's a fact. I didn't hear it dive into the water either. Still, I won't believe his toughness until I see it."

* * *

Jo and Trent walk ahead of the group, with Brick, Cameron, and Mike close together. Their footsteps sound lightly on the dirt floor. Jo shines her flashlight into the darkness, but no end of the tunnel appears.

"So, Trent. You were forced to help us with this challenge like the other veterans?" Jo says.

"Nah, I volunteered," Trent replies. "I thought helping the new contestants was a worthy cause. You're Jo, right?"

"Yeah. Sorry about all the Gwen stuff, you've had to go through a lot of that."

He gives a short nod. "It's fine. I'm over her anyway, we're friends now."

"You don't mind her dating Duncan?"

Shadows fall around Trent's eyes and mouth. "It's her choice to date who she wants, I really have no say in her being with him. Just- don't let relationships screw things up for you, okay? That's my advice as an old contestant."

Jo flips her eyes toward the ceiling. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on having a relationship anytime soon. Especially not after seeing them on this show."

Trent chuckles. "Well, that's wise of you."

"You feeling better than yesterday, Mike?" Brick says.

"Other than being in this dark mine, yeah," Mike says.

"You're afraid of the dark?" Brick says with a degree of surprise.

"Not exactly _afraid_, just kinda nervous. It's really more of an underground nervousness anyway, with the atmosphere and all."

Brick slouches over slightly, something that catches Cameron's eye on the other side of Mike. "Oh, I see."

The Rats keep a brisk jog in the tunnel, water trailing behind them. Zoey matches pace with Gwen in front, her expression glowing with a childlike energy. "Can I just say something quick? It's so cool to meet you face-to-face! I've already gotten to talk to Leshawna, and I have to say it's so _exciting_ to meet my two favorite contestants!"

"Whoa, slow down there," Gwen says, partially laughing. "I appreciate my fans and all, but I don't like having them gush over me."

Zoey turns slightly pink. "Sorry, I get really ahead of myself sometimes. I'm a huge fan of Total Drama."

"Not Sierra-level, right?"

"Oh ho ho, no."

"Then you're fine with me. Just don't ask for my autograph."

"I won't, I don't collect autographs. And even if I did, I don't have any writing utensils."

A hint of a smile emerges from Gwen. "You would carry one if you did though."

"True. But a piece of paper with a signature is nothing compared to the actual memory of meeting the person. An autograph easily gets lost, but the memory doesn't."

"Well-said, Zoey."

"You know my name?"

"Yeah, Chris made Trent and me memorize the names of the people on our teams."

"That's smart, I guess. Though I hate paying Chris any sort of compliment."

Grinning full-on, Gwen slings her arm around Zoey's shoulders. "You know what? You're quite alright!"

Zoey's posture rises. "Really?"

"Yeah! I could totally see you hanging out with me and Leshawna. You'd make a nice addition."

"Wow, that'd be like a dream come true!"

Gwen drops her arm. "Okay, if we're ever going to be friends, you have to keep in mind Leshawna and I are just people."

"Right, sorry."

"Don't worry about it, you'll get there."

Dawn runs a little behind Scott, her breath passing through her mouth. She gives no notice to Scott, who looks at her from the side. "Hey, Dawn. I was wondering, how do you talk to animals the way you do?"

Dawn's gaze lands on him, locked and loaded. "Well, Scott, first you need the capacity."

His expression twitches, but maintains its composure. "I see. Must be a useful gift."

A pause slightly longer than appropriate passes before Dawn speaks. "It is not meant to be useful for one's own benefit, but for that of Mother Earth's creatures."

"Uh huh... Do you also need the capacity to read auras?"

"That's only part of it. Reading auras allows you to see the events of one's past and the emotions of one's present, nothing more. Therefore, you need a strong intuitive sense to interpret any aura correctly."

"I'd say I have a pretty strong intuition. Could you teach me how to at least see auras?"

Dawn pumps her legs faster and soon edges ahead of Scott, sweat breaking across her forehead. "You're- not ready, Scott. I don't know if- you ever will be."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"Yup, it's official," Scott says. "Dawn despises me. It's probably only her aura-reading ability that lets her. Well, _Dawn_, my intuitive sense is telling me that you convinced Zoey to vote for me, and you need to go next."

* * *

The Rats approach quickly behind the Maggots, who soon look back at the sound of their footsteps. "They caught up!" Jo yelps, and breaks into a sprint. "Come on, hustle!"

The other Maggots follow her example, widening the gap between them and the Rats. Gwen slows to a relaxed jog, and the other Rats falter. "Why are we slowing down? We nearly had them!" Scott says.

"As long as we can see the Maggots, we're set," Gwen replies. "No need to overexert ourselves."

"Indeed," Dawn breathes, then resumes her panting.

Scott catches up to Zoey and taps her shoulder. She turns, meets his eyes, and frowns. "Can I speak to you?" he whispers.

She turns her eyes back forward. "I don't trust you, Scott."

"Why not? I don't understand what I've ever done to betray your trust."

Zoey lowers her voice to a hiss. "How about the fact that you framed B, Lightning, and tried to break up Cameron's and Mike's friendship?"

Scott's eyes nearly double in size. "Where'd you hear all that? Dawn?"

"That's not your concern. Are you gonna deny all of it's true?"

"No, I'm not."

She looks back at him. "Wait, really?"

"All of your accusations are true. Whoever told you them is really perceptive, I must say. And I have another truth to tell you, Zoey, but I'd rather have no one else hear it." Scott goes off to the side, and Zoey glances at Dawn, who approaches her. Zoey shakes her head, and Dawn slows back down as Zoey joins Scott.

"What's the truth?" she whispers.

"It's about why I went on this show," Scott whispers back.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to trust me as much I do you. I mean, I know my secret won't justify my actions, but it'll at least explain them. You deserve to know."

Zoey inhales. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Okay. Well..." Scott stares down. "My family, they need the money. With my pappy as a dirt farmer and my mammy as a waitress, we're literally dirt poor. My pappy actually pushed me to audition for this show. But I also came on to _get away_ from my family." **[4]**

"What do you mean?"

Scott turns his face away from her. "That... that I can't tell you."

"Look, Scott, I'm not the best financially either. I live with just my grandma. But at least you_ have_ your parents, I'd be thankful if I were you."

"Sorry about your parents, I should be more considerate. I am thankful for my own, I just don't always want to be in the same house with them." He chuckles. "So yeah, I've been strategizing to make sure I don't get kicked off. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I need this. I desperately need this."

"Isn't strategizing all the time tiresome?" Zoey asks. "Don't you want to be yourself around others?"

"Myself?" He makes a sound between a scoff and a snicker. "I don't think so. But can I trust you to keep what I said a secret?"

"Sure. Yes."

"Good. Nice talking to you." Scott walks back to Gwen and Dawn, with Zoey following far behind him. **[5]**

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Scott and I don't really see eye to eye," Zoey says. "I wish I could live with my parents. I'd love to be accepted by everyone for who I am, but that hasn't happened. And then Scott, on the other hand, wants pretty much the opposite for both. Honestly, I don't know what to think. How does he want to help his family and get away from them at the same time? It just doesn't add up. Still though, I understand his money situation. It's partly why I came here too." She clasps her hands together. "I have a tough decision to make. I just hope I make the right one."

* * *

Still sprinting, Jo looks behind her to see Cameron lagging behind. "Hustle, Toothpick! What are you doing, jogging?"

Cameron's face becomes unrecognizable: flashing eyes, jagged eyebrows, cruel line of a mouth. The expression fades fast, but lingers as he inches slowly forward.

"That wasn't nice of you, Jo," Brick murmurs.

"I know it wasn't, but he needed the push. See, he's catching up."

"If you want any respect from him and others, you need to be respectful to them."

"Actually, I think the _real_ kind of respect can only be earned. Otherwise it's just artificial. Trust me, I know the difference, and I'm doing Cameron a favor by being honest."

"Everyone deserves respect," Brick says quietly. "Admiration has to be earned, but every human being deserves to be treated like one."

Jo opens her mouth, then shuts it. She looks down.

"Guys, I see a fork up ahead!" Trent says. Everyone looks where Trent's flashlight is shining, and two tunnel entrances bending away from each other are lit. "Which direction should we go in?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Jo says.

"I do know, but I'm not allowed to say anything. Chris's orders, sorry."

"Um, left is right?" Brick says.

"We should- look into each- tunnel first," Cameron breathes.

"Good idea," Brick says. After jogging to a stop at the tunnels, they walk back and forth between each one while squinting inside.

"They look the same to me," Jo says.

"Let's just try one, and if we seem to be going nowhere, we can turn back," Cameron says.

Trent shakes his head. "Man, Chris's hint doesn't even help at all here. Brutal."

"Tell me about it," Jo scoffs. "Let's just go left, before the Rats get here." She enters the left tunnel first, and the others follow.

The Rats watch this occur. "Do you guys want to take the other tunnel?" Gwen says.

"Why, is that the right path?" Scott says.

Gwen's face settles into a deliberately neutral expression. "Can't say, but it could be a shortcut."

"It's safer than the left. I'm afraid the Maggots have put themselves onto the path of danger," Dawn says.

"Good for us then." Scott walks ahead of the others into the right tunnel, leaving them to stare at him.

Dawn turns to Zoey. "What were you discussing with Scott before?"

"I told him everything Cameron said he did, and he didn't deny them. He said they were all true."

"Huh. I didn't expect that out of him."

"Me neither, but he was trying to regain my trust."

"Zoey, if I could show you how dark his aura is, I would."

"But he told me why he came on this show! It was a pretty heavy reason too."

"Is that what's troubling you?"

Zoey, Dawn, and Gwen enter the tunnel, and Zoey inclines her head. "Yes."

Dawn lays a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I trust you will make the right choice."

The Maggots walk spread-out, a field of light surrounding them. The tunnel entrance is now a tiny gap behind them. Accompanying their footsteps is a pitter-pattering far in the background.

Mike breaks the field of light, bringing his flashlight from the wall to behind him. "Anyone else hear that?"

"I do," Brick says.

"And me," Cameron says.

"Probably just the Rats," Jo says.

Mike stops, squinting in the direction of his flashlight. Pale pink lumps appear in the dark entrance like ghosts. "No, I don't think so..."

A soft rumble begins under their feet, and the rest of the Maggots pause. "Uh oh. Should we run?" Trent says.

The lumps soon have faces too large to be human. "Probably," Cameron says. The Maggots put on a burst of speed, but the lumps become clearer and clearer behind them, possessing eyes swollen-shut and jagged teeth. The whole tunnel shakes, bits and pieces falling from the ceiling.

Mike looks behind him to see their pursuers a sudden short distance away. "AH! They're mutant gophers!"

"We won't outrun them!" Jo shouts over their pounding.

Brick skids to a stop, and the other Maggots keep running. "Brick! What are you doing?" Mike yells.

"Don't stop!" Brick says. "I'll try to hold them off!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Jo screams.

"Better that one of us gets hurt than five." Jo slows as the others run ahead, meeting Brick's gaze. "_GO_!"

Jo flinches, then turns around and runs. As the gophers close in on Brick, he cracks his knuckles, eyebrows knit over his eyes. He sprints at the gopher in front, dirt flying behind both of them. He raises his fist.

**BAM!** The gopher tips over on its feet, and the others stop and turn their faces to Brick. He shakes his hand a few times and grins a challenge. "What, you guys can't take a punch?"

They all rush at him, but he leaps on top of one and slides off its back. Three gophers barrel into their peer as Brick runs away, three others on his tail.

After a long silent period of walking, the Rats see the ground disappear ahead. They glance at each other and venture further. Tracks run down a steep slope into darkness, with two mine carts waiting near the top.

"This'll speed things up!" Zoey says. "Nice job Gwen!"

"No prob, I wanted to ride in one of these anyway." Gwen climbs into the front, followed by Dawn.

Zoey steps toward the other cart. "I'd feel safer riding in the back."

"I'll ride with you," Scott says. Zoey climbs in first, and watches Scott come in.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Dawn says.

"Have you ever ridden a roller coaster before?" Gwen says.

"No, why?"

"Oh, well, I was just gonna say that you'd feel better once you rode the mining cart, like riding a roller coaster for the first time."

"Maybe, but that's not my concern. We might get separated if we ride these carts."

"I think there's only one track, so you don't need to worry. This'll put us ahead of the Maggots for sure." Gwen takes out the rock in front. The carts shudder, then begin to glide down the rails. They quickly gain speed, and soon the Rats fly across level ground.

Gwen shines her flashlight ahead, showing two rails above a pond. One slopes downward, and the other continues straight. The little color in her face disappears. "Oh no, these carts aren't connected!"

Dawn pales as well. "So that must mean-" The front cart takes the straight rail, and the back cart heads down the slope.

"No!" Gwen reaches her hand down, but just misses Zoey's hand. As the front cart disappears into a tunnel, the back cart streaks toward a break in the tracks.

"AH! I'm too young to die!" Zoey shouts.

"Jump!" Scott yells. Just before the cart reaches the break, he dives into the pond. Zoey and the cart fly through the air upright, landing beyond the water and rolling into darkness.

Jo, Mike, Cameron, and Trent run through the vibrating tunnel, breathing rapidly. Their expressions are numb, like their minds are struggling to process a traumatic event.

Trent breaks the silence. "That was Brick, right?"

"Yes," Jo says, her voice barely audible.

"Uh, guys?" Mike whispers. "The tunnel's still shaking."

On cue, the ceiling splits open. The deep crack spreads like a vein along the walls of the tunnel, which then proceed to crumble. The Maggots scream and scatter as rocks pour around them, the camera falling into static.

The view switches to Chris and Chef in a surveillance room. Chris gets up from his chair, squinting at one of the screens filled with static. The screen beside it is completely black, and the next three show the surface of a pond, Gwen and Dawn riding their cart in a tunnel, and Brick being chased by seven gophers.

Chris turns to the camera. "Looks like our players are doomed! Will any of them survive? I have my doubts. But find out for sure when we come back, with more Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- Of course, you probably already know what it is.

**[2]**\- She did call him Captain Peewee before, mind you.

**[3]**\- It is remarkably easy to make interactions in a meat truck. I wonder why...

**[4]**\- The idea for Scott's financial problems is from TheToxicInterest's one-shot, Reasons to Return. I highly recommend reading it and other one-shots, they're amazing!

**[5]**\- For those who don't know, Scott is supposed to be a parody of Russell Hantz from Survivor. Russell tries to establish trust with his allies, though he clearly can't be trusted. See the resemblance?

Well, this is my biggest cliffhanger yet! Actually, it's my only cliffhanger. Reviews are appreciated, as always. :-)


	16. A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste (P2)

**Warning: **This chapter contains a long flashback. It's sad to a large extent, so make sure you're prepared! And I wouldn't recommend skipping it either, it's important to the character's development.

**TEAMS**

TOXIC RATS: Dawn, Zoey, Scott

MUTANT MAGGOTS: Jo, Mike, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam, Anne Maria

As Brick races toward the entrance of the tunnel, a field of light wobbles in front of him from his flashlight. He controls his breathing, sucking in air or pushing it out every two steps. The gophers loom close behind him in the darkness, their footsteps thundering over his.

One lets out a squeal and leaps forward, plowing into Brick. They roll in a straight path, Brick struggling in the gopher's embrace. A few seconds later, the gopher slows to a stop and lies on top of him. Its nostrils flare as it sniffs him, then recoils.

Brick heaves himself up on his arms, staring as the gopher backs away further. The others follow in a wave. "What? Do I smell that bad? The only things I smell are you guys, and my boots..."

He leaps up. "My boots!" He wiggles his left boot off and waves it at the gophers, who jump back. "That's right, stay back! I have the smell of war, and I'm not afraid to use it!" Holding the boot out, he backs away toward the entrance, close in view. The gophers advance, and he chucks the boot in front of them. Dirt flies up as they scramble out of the way, then turn tail and run.

Brick collects his boot before he continues on his way, holding it in his free hand. "Better have it ready just in case," he mutters. His flashlight flickers once as he reaches the entrance.

He stops and tilts the flashlight up, looking into it. Once more, it flickers. Then it turns off.

"Ack!" Brick shakes the flashlight twice. He rattles it for a full ten seconds, his breath shaking with his movement. He lifts his arms and sees only black. His breathing speeds up as though he were running. "Okay, Brick. Calm down. It's just the- the dark. You've _been_ over this."

He whips a hand across his cheek. _CRACK!_ "Stop it! Stop thinking!" Holding his cheek, he closes his eyes and walks forward. Soon he brushes against the wooden frame of the entrance, and he leans his back against it. He slides down, air flying in and out of his mouth.

_The camera view flickers to a men's bathroom. Light gleams off everything: the tiles, the porcelain sinks and urinals, and the stalls, all empty. The door flies open, and a boy with brown hair trips into the wall across from him. _THUD!_ He flips around and leans on it, chest heaving. He looks through his hair as three other boys run inside._

_All of their eyes lock with Brick's, the look between them like that of a predator and its prey. Two boys push past Brick, each about a head taller than him and twice as thick. The last one saunters up to him, bending down his neck at a near-right angle. His blonde hair lights up like a flame, his shadow enveloping Brick's shrunken frame. His gaze holds an icicle brilliance. Brick shrinks further under his stare, coal eyes glossed-over. _

_"Game over, Peewee," the boy sneers. Like a ball in a pinball machine, he shoves Brick into the hands of another, and Brick is sent flying toward the toilet of the first stall. A different boy seizes his head and pushes it underwater. As the other boy rushes to help hold Brick down, the blonde boy walks past them to the flusher. He looks at Brick's arms, bent on the toilet seat and trembling against the force of the others. His legs flail side to side, hitting the others' feet._

_"MMMMGHH!" Brick screams, and bubbles come up._

_"Geez, why don't you ever give up?" The blonde boy grasps the flusher like a level and pumps it up and down, whipping Brick's head around in an ongoing torrent. He raises his voice over the flushing, like slurping through a straw magnified five times. "You're as stubborn as hell. Look where you are now! This is where pests like you belong, all the time."_

_"Don't worry Ryan, he's not hurting us," one boy says, then snickers with the other one._

_A smirk seeps onto Ryan's face. His lips draw back down as he eyes Brick's feet again. He comes around the toilet, one hand still pumping the handle, and kicks Brick's legs around. "Stop flailing like a fish."_

_One of the boys looks at Brick's pants and guffaws. "Will you look at that! Peewee peed himself!"_

_"You'll never learn from our time together, will you Peewee?" Ryan says. "Your parents must be disappointed. What kind of fourteen-year-old, or _seven_-year-old, doesn't use a urinal?"_

_He makes a cut-it-out motion with his hand, and the boys let Brick go. He explodes out of the water, hair whipping back on his head, mouth opening in a deep, wet gasp. The group backs off as he bends over on the ground and enters a coughing fit, spilling water onto the floor. They watch, their faces impassive. After a minute, he gets up on his knees and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ryan, I'm thirteen. And I do know how to use a urinal."_

_Ryan's face twitches. "Obviously you don't, because you use your pants twenty-four seven."_

_The other boys let off a series of cackles that bounce off the walls. Brick leaps up, his face burning red. "I_ don't_!"_

_"You can deny me forever, for all I care. I have a million lessons up my sleeve, and I'd love to teach you all of them." He walks out of the stall. "Lock him in, boys!"_

_"Hey!" Brick runs forward, but the others shove him to the ground and leave. One locks the stall from the outside, the only stall with a hole where the handle should be. T__he other turns the lights off. The door whines as it opens, then shuts with a click. The sound of a key twisting in the door's lock ensues for five seconds before silence settles in._

_Brick pulls on the bolt, his whole body shaking, but it stays jammed. He lets go of his breath and flattens himself on the floor. When he crawls toward the gap under the stall, the door blocks his head._

_"Argh!" He gets up and lays both hands on the door. His meager muscles tense as he pushes against it. Briefly after, his shoulders sink, and he steps back and falls backward onto the toilet seat._

_He lets out a bark of laughter: low, empty, humorless. "At least I didn't fall in," he mutters._

_His face collapses then, and he buries it in his hands. Tears leak out through his fingers and trickle down his arms. Absolute silence blends into absolute darkness, hidden to the world outside._

Brick now holds his chemical badge, still glowing green, up to his face. He cups his other hand over his left eye and stares at the light, sweat coating him all over.

His eyes flick to the dark and back, and he takes a deep breath. He looks at the dark again, and his chest swells with air. Tension gathers in his face, until he opens his mouth to scream.

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_!"

* * *

The mining cart holding Gwen and Dawn rides swiftly through the tunnel. Gwen leans over the back, shining her flashlight in front of her. "We have to stop this cart! We're getting farther and farther away from the others!"

"What can we do?" Dawn cries.

"I don't know! AGH!" Gwen slaps both hands onto her head. A beat later, she lowers them. "Wait!" She pulls off her backpack and dumps everything out: a map, a first-aid kit, and a canteen.

"What are you doing?"

"Something that will hopefully not kill us!" Gwen goes to the front. "Give me your backpack!"

Dawn hands it to her. "Please be careful!"

"What I'm about to do isn't careful, but it's the only way." She lowers a backpack in each hand into the wheels of the cart. The sounds of ripping and stretching ensue, and the cart slows to a leisurely pace, as though they were taking a tour through the mine. Gwen holds the backpacks in place until only the tops are left, which she then tosses under the wheels.

In the minute before the cart stops, she twitches her head this way and that, her eyes leaping around the tunnel. Dawn goes up to her and lays a hand on her shoulder, and Gwen jerks. "You can overcome your fear, Gwen. Focus on something else, like breathing."

"H-how did you k-know my f-fear?"

"I am able to read auras. If it will help, close your eyes and focus on my voice."

"No, I c-can't. I have t-to see w-where I am."

"Just concentrate on my voice then."

Gwen grips the mine cart, her hands trembling. "I-I really c-cant c-concentrate on anything r-right now!"

The mine cart stops. Gwen leaps out of it, a wild energy in her stance. "Okay. Okay. W-we have to find t-the others, though I d-don't know w-where th-"

"Gwen!" Dawn says. "Take a deep breath." Gwen wheezes in, then out. "We're going to find them. But first, you need to calm down. Try to build a new mindset of calmness. Think of home, think of your family and friends."

Gwen releases a ragged breath, pulling her feet together. "I spent two hours thinking about leading you guys, Dawn. I can't just distract my mind from this mine again in a pinch."

"Oh... You know what? Maybe you_ shouldn't_ divert your attention from the mine. Perhaps you should focus on getting out of it."

"Getting out does sound nice." Gwen begins walking toward the exit. "But first, we have to find Zoey and Scott."

"Wait, can I see your map first?" Dawn says.

Gwen pauses mid-step. She turns around and walks back. "Oh yeah, sure. I forgot we should bring everything with us."

Dawn stoops down in the cart and retrieves the map, then straightens it out. "We're only halfway to the exit. Surely we don't have more than about thirty minutes left, and we can't go back if we want to get out in time. Plus, both Zoey and Scott will meet up with other people."

Gwen arrives at Dawn's side. A pinched look enters her eyebrows, matched by a shadow of a frown. "Are you sure you're judging correctly? And how do you know that about Zoey and Scott?"

Dawn holds out to her the map. "Here, you can judge for yourself. You know this mine better than I do." Gwen takes it and holds it in front of her eyes. "I have the ability to see into the future somewhat. I know it sounds strange, but it is something I've had since I was born."

"Actually, that sounds really neat. I'm guessing that's why you had a bad feeling about the carts?"

"Indeed."

Gwen lowers the map. "You're right, we don't have enough time to go back. I probably shouldn't doubt you anymore, but are you_ positive_ Zoey and Scott will find someone?"

Dawn puts a hand over her heart. "I assure you I am."

Gwen laughs, a tremor running under her voice. "No need to pledge. Why don't you get out so we can get going?"

A pale flush arises on Dawn's skin, and she clambers out of the cart. "I just didn't want to get out until we had everything planned."

Gwen grows a lopsided grin. "I said you'd get used to the cart, didn't I?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: GWEN

"I'm actually meeting some cool new people here!" Gwen shows two fingers to the camera and folds them one at a time. "A good-natured fan with sense, and an aura-reader slash teller of the future. Dawn even has a calming effect on me somehow. And after losing half the group in an instant and reactivating my phobia, that's an amazing feat."

* * *

Zoey's pigtails flap around, their owner bending over the side of her mining cart. She shines her flashlight behind her, expression growing more tense as the tunnel exit shrinks to the size of a grape. "HELP! PLEASE, SOMEONE! I CAN'T STOP THIS CART!"

She points her flashlight forward, shedding dim light on a wall of rocks at the end. "What, this soon?"

Several seconds later, the wall becomes fully see-able, revealing a figure with tattered clothes climbing out of it. "Who's there?" Zoey shouts.

Mike jerks his leg free, sending down a light rain of rocks. His hair, face, and clothes are coated in dirt. He stares into the distance. "_Zoey?_"

Zoey's eyes become circles. "_Mike?_ Oh God, MOVE!"

"JUMP!" Mike shouts, stepping off the tracks. "I'll catch you!"

Zoey's flashlight encompasses the whole rock wall in a glaring sun. Zoey looks back and forth between Mike and the wall. "I-I can't!"

Light flashes in Mike's eyes, turning them light brown. "You'll crash otherwise!"

"I'll crash either way!"

"I swear I'll catch you!" The cart's shadow blots out the light on the wall. "DO IT!"

Zoey bends down on her knees and leaps.

Straight into Mike's arms.

_**CRASH! **_The cart bounces a yard off the wall. It skids sideways on the track and into the side of the tunnel.

Mike and Zoey are locked in an embrace, the latter leaning on the former. Both have their eyes clamped shut. Mike opens his first, and a smile transitions over his face. The smile falls into a grin and stretches even wider, and Mike slides his arms away.

Zoey opens her eyes, falling back on her heels as she releases him. She blinks. "I'm alive."

"You are."

"I am." She steps forward and kisses Mike's grin before he can react. She pulls away, leaving his mouth at the beginning of an 'o'. "Thank you."

Mike straightens his mouth. He meets Zoey's gaze, both sharing the same intensity. "Anytime."

Three seconds later, Zoey turns to the dented cart lying sideways. "Would I have died if I stayed on?"

"You shouldn't think about that." Mike wraps his hands around Zoey's arms, cradling them. "All that matters is you survived."

Zoey shuts her eyes and breathes in. "Honestly, I'm still a little freaked out."

"Maybe walking will help." Mike lets go and approaches the rock wall, now missing a few rocks. He points to the left of it, where a new tunnel pokes out from the crumbling side. "We can try going here, or back the way you came."

"No, we won't be able to go back up the track. Let's just try the tunnel."

Mike and Zoey enter through the hole, which has a cracked ceiling. They step over and around the boulders littering the floor, feet crunching on rocks. Their frames take up most of the space, Mike bending over to fit inside.

"So, how'd you get separated from your team?" Mike says.

"We rode mine carts, they split down different tracks, and the only person with me jumped out."

Mike switches his head from side to side. "Without you? Really?"

"Well, Scott had the right idea. I should've dived when he told me to, but I didn't react fast enough."

"Still, he shouldn't have left you. I know I wouldn't have. I hope he feels awful for bailing on you like that."

The ground smooths out, the tunnel now looking like it was there all along. "To be fair, Mike, you don't know if you would've done the same."

"What? Zoey, I-"

"Never mind," Zoey says. "Forget I said that."

Mike tries to catch her eye, but she turns her face away from him. "Alright."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey hides her face in her hands. "What have I gotten myself into?" She whips her face up and throws her hands sideways. "Why did I have to kiss Mike? I completely embarrassed myself. Thank goodness he acted normal after, though surely he knows I like him now. And I'm really afraid he's going to reciprocate, maybe even ask me out. Especially after hearing the way he talked about Scott... Let's just say that I'm positive I'd be a terrible girlfriend. He'd be embarrassed to be seen with me in my other clothes, I'd be too scared to talk to any of his friends, and most of all, I'm inexperienced. Mike deserves better."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike passes a hand over his lips, then stares at his hand. "I can't believe Zoey kissed me. That literally just came out of nowhere. Probably the biggest _and_ the most pleasant surprise of my life! I really wish I was prepared though, I didn't get to kiss her back. She might've touched my teeth first before I reacted." He puts his hand on his knee. "Long story short, I completely embarrassed myself."

* * *

Somewhere at the bottom of the mine collapse, Jo is slumped over in rocks up to her knees. Her flashlight is lodged in front of her right hand. She opens her eyes a crack, bright against her soot-colored face. "Huh?..."

She cranes her neck behind her. Two yards away is Cameron, buried up to his waist. He rises up and down with the slowness that accompanies sleep, his eyes closed and glasses lens split with cracks. Jo strains for a few seconds before yanking her right leg from the rocks. She steps forward and pulls out her left leg, then turns around. "Cameron?"

Cameron stirs. His eyes drift open and blink, as though he were sedated. He feels behind his head, then flinches his hand away. A scarlet smear glistens across the palm.

Jo tilts backward. "Whoa. Um, stay there. I'll help you get out."

As she moves forward, Cameron holds his arm out. The bloody palm faces her. "Don't help me, Jo."

"Wha- why not?"

"I don't want your help," he says, his voice stronger and sharper. Jo steps back, and Cameron pushes away the rocks in front of him. He shifts through the pile as he would through water, slowly. Along the way, he sees his flashlight and picks it up. Jo watches him pass by her, and soon follows from behind, grabbing her flashlight as well.

They step out of the rocks. "Are we still in the same tunnel?" Jo says. "I remember running forward during the collapse."

Cameron looks back at the pile, which lies underneath a caved-in ceiling and pushes into the walls. "I would say yes, because I can see a straight path behind the collapse."

"Your head injury looks serious. You might have a concussion, we need to get you out of here."

"I don't feel any concussion yet. I can still think straight."

Jo holds up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three." Cameron turns away. "Seriously, I'm fine. Let's just get moving before we get sick from radiation."

"Wait, what about Trent and Mike? We got separated!"

Cameron shakes his head and starts walking. "You just realized now?"

"No, I'm not ignorant," Jo scoffs. "... Not about my surroundings, anyway. In case you didn't notice, I was worrying about your pin head."

He whirls around. "Would you mind not talking down to me like that? Just for a second. Don't you think Mike and Trent would've responded to our voices if they were still here?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, you think they're dead? If you were able to survive, then they-" Jo coughs. "Never mind."

Cameron releases a brief, restrained sigh. "I meant that the collapse has blocked us from them. They're going to have to take the other path, unless a new one has somehow opened."

"Which means that either way, we probably won't see them until the end."

"Probably." He starts walking again. "Let's go."

Jo walks at his side, a healthy distance between them.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"Beyond doubt, Jo is the one who makes fun of me the most," Cameron says. "And then I get left with her after the collapse! Seriously, is chance biased or what?" He bends over, leaning his forehead on his palm. "No, it's usually not. My emotions are taking over my logic. Maybe I should ask Dawn how to meditate."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I'm really starting to see the adverse effects from my treatment of Cameron," Jo says. "He didn't even want me to touch him. Not to mention he's acting touchy himself. I need to make amends with him somehow, and not just because I need to." Her head drops, eyes gazing across the floor. "Brick was right. I've been treating everyone I know like my brothers when they're not. They don't deserve it. And now my team is scattered, possibly... no. I won't say it."

* * *

Brick seals his mouth with both hands. The scream slides off his face, leaving the pure, concentrated memory of his younger self. He curls in toward his knees and closes his eyes. "I've moved on," he whispers. "I've moved on."

"Find the others." He slides back up the wall. After refastening the chemical badge on his arm and putting on his boot, he puts the other out and feels the right side of the tunnel. He puts one foot in front of the other, making only an echo of a sound.

The green triangle on the chemical badge glows, Brick walking as he would a tightrope. Soon along the way, the color changes to orange. _Beep._

"Huh?" Brick turns his arm over, and his face processes the change. He quickens his pace, now more stride in his step.

Little time passes before he bumps into the site of the collapse, completely blocking the path. "Oof!" He staggers back and thrusts a hand out, the other holding his nose. He feels the pile and walks along it. "... A dead end?"

His hand touches wall. "Or not." He follows the curve of the wall, leading into a new tunnel.

"Jo!" Brick shouts as he walks. "Mike! Cameron! Trent!" As seconds pass by with empty silence, Brick sucks in air and blows it back out in a shaky stream.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick has the door open, bringing in daylight. He grips the edge of the seat. "That challenge was the second worst time of my life. The only thing that can make facing your fear any worse is having to face it alone."

* * *

Gwen and Dawn walk at a brisk pace, the former holding the map and canteen and the latter holding the first-aid kit. Gwen's voice rushes out, on the verge of stumbling over words. "I'm not having as hard a time believing you can read auras and see into the future as I thought I would've. I'm a big karma believer, that might be why. And I also believe in ghosts, demons, and angels. At the risk of sounding girly, I have a flair for the supernatural."

Dawn giggles. "No, you don't sound girly. I've never seen any of the three before, but I had a friend who was able to see ghosts."

"Oh yeah? What happened to her?"

The shield of calm disappears from Dawn's face, uncovering a void that contrasts greatly. "We lost contact with each other."

"Oh." Gwen combs a hand through her hair, glancing away. "Well, um, I know how that feels. Not that that's any comfort."

"Are you talking about Courtney and Bridgette?"

Gwen whips her face to her. "Whoa! You're really good! But yeah, I was talking about them." She stares down at her flashlight. "They both let me down. Bridgette gave me the cold shoulder after I broke up with Trent. Courtney treated me like her worst enemy after she found out about Duncan and me, even though I did nothing wrong."

Dawn's eyes lock on her, mouth in a firm line. "Duncan has been lying to you, Gwen. He and Courtney were still together when you two kissed." **[1]**

Gwen slows down. "Wha... what?"

Dawn lays her hand over Gwen's holding the flashlight, not pushing in the slightest. "I'm sorry."

Gwen speeds up again, leaving Dawn's hand behind. "No, I'm sorry Dawn. I don't believe you. Duncan confides in me all the time, he would never lie to me. Unless he wanted to tell a joke, that is."

"You're in denial," Dawn says. "I understand."

As Gwen opens her mouth, Trent's voice comes faintly behind them. "Hello?"

Gwen and Dawn freeze, then turn around. A spot of light wavers back in the tunnel. "_Trent?_" Gwen says.

"Gwen? Is that you?"

"And Dawn!" Gwen says. "How on Earth are you here? You took the opposite tunnel!"

"Uh, it's kinda a long story! Maybe I'll tell you when I'm closer?"

Gwen laughs, short and sweet. "Sure."

Trent's chuckle blends with the air, and an outline of his shadow appears behind his flashlight. Gwen and Dawn continue walking, and soon a dirt-dusted Trent jogs up behind them. "Hey Gwen, Dawn." He extends his hand sideways to Dawn.

Dawn shakes it. "Nice to meet you, Trent."

"Heh, same to you. Sorry, I think I just got dirt on your hand."

Dawn flips her hand over to reveal Trent's handprint. "I don't mind dirt, it's essential to nature."

"Why _are_ you covered in dirt?" Gwen says.

His cheerful expression folds away like paper. "The Maggots and I were caught in a mine collapse."

Dawn covers her mouth. A shine passes over Gwen's eyes, a shade darker than before. "So that's why you're all alone."

Trent watches his moving feet. "Yeah. It just- caught us by surprise, you know? I wish I knew it was coming."

"Don't put any blame on yourself," Dawn says. "It couldn't be helped."

"Yeah, but-" he shakes his head like a wet dog. "I should've looked further for them. It's this stupid time limit that's holding me back."

_BEEP! _Trent's, Gwen's, and Dawn's chemical badges turn orange. The trio flinches. "We only have fifteen minutes left!" Gwen says. She bursts into a sprint.

"Wait! Why are you running?" Trent says.

"We'll still get there in time if we walk!" Dawn says.

"Have you forgotten that this is a competition?" Gwen says. "The Maggots might still be ahead of us!"

Trent forms a cross between a grin and a smirk. "Oh, well in that case-" He races after her, Dawn following on his heels.

Mike's and Zoey's flashlights project twin beams of light across the path. Their carriers walk close enough to touch elbows. Zoey flits her eyes to Mike's face, withdrawing the instant he looks back. Mike stares for a few seconds before turning his gaze ahead.

Mike and Zoey turn their heads at the same time. Neither looks away, though both grow a red tint. Mike clears his throat. "You know, I think I know why the mine collapse happened. This mine doesn't have any support to its structure." He traces a finger around the tunnel. "See? There aren't any timbers to hold the tunnel." **[2]**

"Or it could just be the fact that the mine's old," Zoey says.

"Well, yeah. That too."

Zoey's lips tease upward. "When did you become a mine expert?"

"Heh, I have experience, that's all."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike has his arms folded over his knees. "Yeah, more like Manitoba does. He's been chatting non-stop since the start of the challenge... and now I sound schizophrenic. Great. It does feel like I am sometimes, especially when I have four voices talking in my head at once."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Experience? Just like how he has experience with crocodiles?" Zoey plops her chin in her hands. "I'm probably worrying too much. Maybe he's just adventurous. He certainly is with his characters."

* * *

"Any news on how your team has been?" Mike says. "You already know about the rumor drama and all on mine."

"It's been iffy, what with Scott switching over and Brick switching out." Zoey ducks her head. "I didn't get along with Anne Maria before she got kicked out..."

"What happened?" Zoey keeps her head lowered. "Hey." Mike lifts his fingers under her chin like it were glass. "You can tell me anything."

Zoey's gaze connects with his in a short stretch of silence, their faces leaning toward each other. A subdued laugh escapes from Mike. "I mean, I don't want to pressure you or anything, but you know."

Zoey pulls away, closing her eyes. "No, I'll tell you."

She gives an objective account of the experience she had with Anne Maria. When she mentions the time Anne Maria insulted her in the bathroom, Mike's eyes and lips frown. "So that's why you had your hair out that day. I thought you just wanted a change."

"I did." She continues, describing in particular detail the scene at the swamp. Midway, hers and Mike's chemical badges change color.

_Beep. _They bring their badges toward their eyes. "Keep going," Mike says.

"I will, but we should run," Zoey says. They speed up, Mike jumping ahead of her. He cuts back on his speed to match her pace. "So she ended up coming along, then we ended up tying at the elimination. Chris arranged a tiebreaker where he asked who was the first person eliminated, fourth person eliminated, et cetera, and we had to try to say their name first. I won by a smidge. At the dock though, Anne Maria said something that surprised me."

"What?" Mike says, leaning toward her.

"She said that she was_ lonely_ on the island. And I have this feeling that it's my fault."

"It sounds like you were much lonelier," Mike says. "You must have felt ostracized by her. And no one even stood up for you?"

"Actually, yes. Dawn stood up for me. Our friendship is one good thing that came out of everything, I suppose."

"Zoey." Mike stops. Zoey trails ahead of him before pausing and looking back. "I'm not going to tell you to do anything, as I of all people know it doesn't work. But I just want to let you know that I think you're fine the way you are. Anne Maria's just a stranger, and I know you as a friend- or an acquaintance at least."

Streams line Zoey's eyes underneath, and she blinks them away. "Thanks Mike. That means a lot."

A second passes. "No problem." Mike enters a run and brushes by Zoey, and she runs after him.

The chemical badges on Jo and Cameron glow orange. Jo walks ahead of Cameron, whose skin has become sallow as blood runs down his neck. His feet drag on the ground, and Jo turns around. "Alright, that's it. Let me hold you."

Cameron clenches his teeth together, his face slick. "What makes you want to help me now?"

"Um, your wound? You're going to fall on the ground if I don't help."

"You were willing enough to ditch me before. You never slowed down when I couldn't keep up with you. You didn't care when I nearly drowned. As far as I've seen, you've never really _helped_ anyone with anything. Why is now any different?"

Jo's face flickers, for a moment melting into vulnerability. The walls climb back up, shutting away her expression. "It's different because we're on a time limit. We can't stay here long."

Cameron lets out a harsh laugh. "Tell me something I don't know. Or just walk ahead, I'll be behind you as usual."

Jo storms toward him, the air flowing around her. "Can you stop acting so unreasonable? How about I carry you, will you be happy then? You're like a ragdoll anyway."

He steps up and cuts her off. "No! I'm tired of being disparaged by you. I'm just as old as you are! I came on this show to experience freedom from my bubble, but you keep putting me back in that space with your words. I just want people to treat me like everyone else, is that too hard to ask?"

Cameron's voice fills up the tunnel. Jo winces and draws back. Someone's footsteps tap behind them, making them turn around. "HELLO?" Scott shouts. "Who's there?"

"Just my luck," Cameron mumbles.

"Hey, Carrot-for-Brains, mind shutting up?" Jo shouts back. "You're gonna cause another cave-in!"

"Oh, it's you," Scott sneers, coming into view. "And Cammy."

"I'm leaving," Cameron snaps, swiveling back forward.

"Right behind you," Jo says.

He stares at her. "You despise him too?"

"Yeah, he used to be a pain in my _beep!_" **[3]**

"I'm not one for profanity, but same here."

"Let's keep walking then."

Jo and Cameron continue forward at the same pace. "Unlike Scott, I can tell you at least try your best with the challenges," Jo says. Cameron answers with his plodding feet. "And in the fashion show challenge, you were a good leader. Chris and Chef are just bad judges."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Okay, I won't deny that I was saying empty words," Jo says. "I meant what I said, I'm just not the best at compliments. Cameron was affected by my insults more than I thought. It's too late now, but now I see he deserves much more respect than I've been giving him." Her eyes lower to the ground. One brief silence later, they bounce back up. "Or maybe it's not too late..."

* * *

Mike and Zoey huff in and out as they run, a new entrance clear in front of them. "Almost there," Mike says.

"Mind if I ask you a question this time?" Zoey says.

"Not at all."

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Um," Mike laughs. "Hm. Well, I don't know. I used to want to be an actor. Still do, I guess. But it's never gonna happen."

"What? Why not? Your characters are really good!"

Mike's lips turn sideways, avoiding a curl. "Heh, yeah. It's just a hobby."

"But it's something you love if you practice it a lot, right? I bet you could turn it into a reality."

He turns his gaze ahead, brown eyes hollow. "... I guess."

Zoey gives him a smile that rivals a sunny day in brightness. "You're a really versatile actor, I'm sure movie directors would love you."

Mike only blinks twice in response. They slow down as they reach the hole at the end. Both step inside the room and shine their flashlights along the walls, which are half-concealed by toxic waste barrels.

"Good God, Chris," Mike mutters.

"Is this the end of the mine?" Zoey sheds light upon an elevated track in the back left corner, holding four mine carts. She goes over to it and shines her flashlight down the track tunnel. "Mike, this might be the way out!"

"If that's the case, then the statues might be here." Mike lights up the bottom of the barrels across the room, also revealing a small army of gophers. Mouth falling open, he shines his flashlight around the room. Gophers form a row on every wall, adding up to be thirty. Three on the left wall break formation and creep up on Zoey.

"ZOEY! RUN!" Mike screams. He runs across the room. The gophers squeal with the volume of ambulance sirens and break away from the walls.

Zoey looks behind her to see three pale looming faces. "AH!" She starts sideways before seeing five more gophers run toward her. "AHHH!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Chris, you are the cruelest man ever!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHRIS

Chris reclines against the wall, putting his legs up on the seat. "Aren't I?"

* * *

"GET IN A CART!" Mike kicks a gopher in the snout mid-leap. As it screams and lands sprawled-out, he grabs Zoey's hand and pulls her back to the carts.

Zoey scrambles into the first cart, then meets Mike's eyes. "Wait! The statues!"

The whole pack swarms around them. "They're not a priority right now, our lives are!" Mike says. He leaps behind Zoey's cart and lays his hands on it.

Gwen, Trent, and Dawn run into the room. Dawn's flashlight shines on them, and she gasps. "Zoey!"

"Dawn, is that you?" Zoey cries. The gophers turn around and advance on the newcomers. Gwen brandishes her canteen, and Trent digs through his backpack and soon copies her.

"We come in peace!" Dawn says to the gophers. They stop, a vibrating bundle of energy. "We are only here for gold statues of the cruel man who dumped all this waste in your home. We will leave as soon as we find them, so if you all can help us-"

The gophers release a cacophony of squeals, and the teens cover their ears. The gophers walk closer. "It's no good! The waste here is disrupting their thought process," Dawn says.

They come within lunging distance, and the teens back away toward the entrance. "These monsters have _thought processes_?" Gwen says.

"I see the statues!" Trent says, pointing his flashlight at the pair centered in front of the back wall. They are miniature full-body copies of Chris, and their gold foil winks in the light. One has a red base, and the other has a green one.

The gophers form a wall surrounding them on all sides. "Okay, here's the plan," Gwen says. "I'll distract the gophers, and Dawn grabs the statue."

Trent's jaw drops. "_Are you kidding?_" The gophers screech and lunge forward. Gwen slaps three of them in a row with her canteen and jumps onto one. She leaps off and runs with all the gophers pursuing her.

Trent shuts his eyes for a second. "Apparently not. Well, she can't do it alone." He races after Gwen, and Dawn moves toward the statues.

Zoey climbs out of her cart. "We can't just sit back and watch our team members!"

"You're right. I see my chance for the statue," Mike says. Zoey stumbles, bringing a hand to her head. "Zoey? Are you alright?"

"I'm feeling kinda woozy all of a sudden..." She falls backward, and Mike catches her. Her face has become a dull grey.

"Oh no, the toxic waste," Mike whispers. He picks her up, and her eyelids flutter before falling shut.

Jo, Scott, and Cameron reach the room. Squeals ring throughout as Trent and Gwen run around the room, occasionally hitting a gopher that gets too close. "Uh, wow," Scott murmurs.

Jo sprints to the statues, reaching them at the same time as Dawn. Their eyes meet in a split second. They snatch a statue and race toward the carts, Jo pulling ahead of her. "Gwen! Scott! I have our statue!" Dawn shouts.

Gwen and Scott race to the carts, a train of gophers behind them. Cameron clutches his head, knees wobbling. "Dizziness, the first sign of severe radiation exposure..." He crumples.

Jo reaches the carts and turns around. "Cameron!" She stuffs the statue in her sweatshirt pocket and sprints back to him.

"Where's Brick?" Trent shouts, slamming a gopher upside the head. He backs against the wall as a horde pushes forward on him.

"Right here!" Brick's voice answers. His boot flies past Jo's head and into the gophers near Trent. They scream and scatter throughout the room, and Brick's other boot sails to the carts. Gwen and Scott climb inside as their pursuers flee.

He appears in front of Jo, taking Cameron into his arms. Jo lurches backward. "Brick! You're alive!"

Brick's mouth quirks up in his signature arrogance-free smirk. "Why wouldn't I be? My boots send all the monsters running."

"Mind explaining that while we run?"

Jo and Brick run between the chaos of the scrambling gophers. "Three words," Brick says. "Severe, athlete's, foot."

Jo cringes. "Too much information in those few words, Cadet."

The Rats pile in the first two carts, and the Maggots occupy the last two. Brick pushes against the last cart, his whole body vibrating. The carts screech as they budge an inch, then they begin to accelerate down the slope. He climbs in the back before the teens roll into the tunnel.

The carts fly down a steep drop and race upward. "AAAAAAAAH!" everyone except Zoey, Cameron, and Gwen screams.

Gwen raises a fist in the air. "Whoo hoo!... Uh oh." The carts race out of the exit and arc through the sky. Everyone squeezes their eyes shut before landing.

**THUMP! **The carts roll on the grass for a beat before tipping over, sending everyone sprawling on the ground. Chris and Chef walk into view, wearing yellow suits and masks. "Heheh, you guys really cut it close!" Chris says. "Five minutes more, and you all would've been toast. Do you have your statues?"

The contestants lie in a row, squeezing their eyes shut from the sun. Dawn and Jo toss the statues at Chris's feet. He picks them up and studies them. "Hm... You didn't figure the color of these statues' bases mattered, did you? Since Dawn came out of the mine first with the _Maggots'_ statue, the Maggots win!"

"Yes!" Jo shouts, and high-fives Brick while lying on the ground.

Scott gets on his feet, but tumbles back down. He draws his lips into a sneer. "Great job, Dawn." The corners of Dawn's mouth creep up as she stares intensely at him, and his eyebrows crinkle.

"Chris, Zoey needs medical attention immediately," Mike says.

"So does Cameron, he has a serious head injury," Jo says.

Chris does a dismissive wave. "Eh, we'll take care of them soon. But first of all-" He takes out a single-button remote and presses it.

**BOOM!** The entrance to the mine collapses, creating a wall of boulders.

"And second of all, before there's permanent genetic damage-" Chef steps forward with a hose and sprays the contestants with a powerful blast. Scott gets knocked down and rolls away with the others.

Chef shakes his head. "Dang, those kids couldn't even stand up after being in there."

"All the more reason to spray them, eh?" Chris says. They burst into cackles and high-five each other.

* * *

Zoey and Cameron lie on stretchers in a large medical tent the color of hospital employee scrubs. Cameron is still unconscious, with bandages wrapped around his head and his glasses removed. Zoey's eyes are almost shut as they stare upward, Dawn and Scott standing on either side of her.

Brick comes through the tent flap, and Dawn and Scott turn around. He tilts his head down briefly. "How's Zoey?"

"Chef said she'll be okay," Dawn replies. "She's just too tired to speak right now. Are you here for Cameron?"

"Yes, but I also wanted to find you guys and couldn't at your cabin. You all did really well today, and it was a close game." Brick smiles. "As I said, you guys don't need me to be a great team."

Dawn returns the same smile, one with a hidden message. "I remember. Thank you for the kind words."

"Nothing but the truth, ma'am." Brick sits by Cameron, and Dawn gets up and copies him.

Jo and Mike enter the tent. Jo silently walks over to Cameron, and Mike locks eyes with Scott. "Mike," Scott says, his tone without color.

"Scott," Mike says in the same way. He walks to the opposite side of Zoey. "Is she awake?"

"Yeah, but she can't talk. So sorry," Scott sneers.

Mike does a 270 with his eyes. He leans close to Zoey's ear. "Zoey, if you can, meet me outside the cabins tonight. I have something important to tell you." He stands up and goes to Cameron without a single look at Scott.

Scott sits down. "I have something important to tell you too," he murmurs. "Mike is not what he seems. Trust me."

Zoey's lips twitch. Her eyes move to Scott's. "No, Scott." Her words trickle out of her mouth, one by one. "_You're_ not who you seem."

Scott moves his mouth as though speaking silently. He stands up, straight as a rake, and strides out of the tent.

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

A plethora of stars are strung across a jet-black sky. The porch lights of both cabins are lit. Scott sits crouched beside the males' bedroom door, a fedora in his lap. His expression is carved in stone, his eyes like blue pebbles.

The door creaks. Mike steps out, a thin sheet of sweat and tension over his features. He gazes at the Rats' cabin. "I have something to tell you," he murmurs. "You see, I have this condition... no, this problem. I just wanted to let you know, since I found out you liked me today and, well, I've had feelings for you a while now." He exhales. "Okay."

He walks toward the steps. Scott comes up behind him. _Creak._

Mike turns, and Scott jams the hat onto his head. Mike's eyes go blank. His breath hitches. He straightens and relaxes his eyelids, sprouting a wide smirk. "Howdy partner!... Oops, wrong lingo. Ahem. What bizzo you on, mate?"

"Bizzo?" Scott says. "Um, well, I'm supposed to meet a hot girl tonight, but I want you to have her. I think you'll like her more than I do."

"Oh, so you're an arsekisser now?" Scott fidgets, and Manitoba gives him a glancing slap on the shoulder. "Just kidding, ya bastard! I know I'm intimidating, but I ain't a wowser. Sure, I'll take this date for ya, as long as she ain't twelve." **[4]**

"She ain't- er, isn't."

"Good. Where is this beauty?"

"She'll be out very soon," Scott says. The door on the females' side of the other cabin opens. Zoey looks out and waves at Manitoba, who waves back.

He winks at Scott. "Seems friendly so far, but you can never really know a Sheila. They all can turn into Miss Spitfire in the blink of an eye, trust me." He skims down the steps and meets her in the middle of the cabins.

Zoey presses her lips together in a contained smile. "Well, I've never seen this character out of you before. You had a fedora with you all along?"

"Why, of course! This is my lucky hat! Have had it since I was a wee ankle biter." Manitoba flicks Zoey's flower pin. "And what do ya wear this for? Are you a greenie?"

Laughter stumbles out of Zoey's mouth. "Sorry Mike, I really don't know what you're saying."

Manitoba steps back. "Mike? Wait, you're Mike's lass?"

She stares at him, conflict swirling in her eyes. "Okay, can you stop confusing me now? I thought you had something important to tell me."

"Something important?" Manitoba fires off a laugh inside a scoff. "I just came here to talk you up and maybe pash if you were interested, but Mike already got to ya first, of course." He turns and walks away. "I have no bizzo here."

Zoey shakes her head as though trying to wake up from a nightmare. "Wait, I came here for no reason? You just wanted to mock me?"

Manitoba looks back, his gaze void of emotion. "I ain't mocking ya, but I ain't a dipstick. Either you're a slurry, or that other redhead's a crook. Or both."

"W-what does 'slurry' mean?"

He pauses in his step. "Slut."

A tremor seizes Zoey's whole body. She clears the distance between them and whips her arm up, knocking his hat to the ground. "This is what I think of your character," she says in a choked voice. "This is what I think of you for not having the guts to reject me as yourself. Thanks for everything, _Mike_."

Manitoba gasps. His eyes become alert, and Mike looks behind him to see Zoey rushing back to her cabin. She glances at him, gaze as bright as the stars.

Mike's face unfolds. He chases after her. "Zoey, wait!" Zoey speeds up, running up the stairs to the door. When Mike reaches the stairs, the door slams. _THUMP!_

Mike races to the door. "ZOEY!" He braces his hands against the window. Zoey speedwalks into the bathroom, door flying shut behind her. Dawn rises from her bed and stares after her. A few seconds later, she turns to the window and meets Mike's eyes. She clenches her features as though she were in pain, matching Mike's own expression. She breaks eye contact and walks to the bathroom door.

The males' bedroom door clicks shut.

* * *

Dawn, Zoey, and Scott sit in front of the bonfire, and Chris stands behind the podium. Chef stands to the side with a box containing the radioactive marshmallow.

Zoey has her face in her hands. On either side, Dawn holds her shoulder while Scott looks away. "Whoa, what happened here?" Chris says.

"Isn't it obvious?" Chef says. "I know that pose. Poor girl's just experienced Total Drama heartbreak."

"I see. Well, better get on with the elimination ceremony. The following people are safe."

"Zoey." Zoey does not move. "Uh, can someone grab her marshmallow?"

Dawn shoots up. "I will." She retrieves Zoey's marshmallow from the tray and sits, cupping it in her hand.

"Dawn, Scott, it's lights out for one of you tonight," Chris says. "You both received votes, and it's a close call. The person going home tonight is... Scott."

Scott stands up. "Fine. I had a feeling this would happen. This season just wasn't mine, I guess."

Dawn's eyes give him a look as sharp as knives. "Especially since you played solely with lies and manipulation."

"You don't get why I did it. And only Zoey knows even half of the story."

"No, Scott, I know the whole story. Nothing in the world can justify your wrongdoings though."

Scott advances on her. Neither backs down in the staring contest. "If you know me so well, why didn't you say anything? You act all nice and innocent, but face it- you're as loathsome as everyone else. You're judgmental and selfish."

"Alright, break it up." Chef lifts Scott over his shoulder. "Talking to a girl like that! You should be ashamed, Farm Boy. Even I wouldn't say what you said."

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Scott's body is curled inside the catapult. Only Chef and Chris stand on the dock, with crickets chirping behind them.

"Wow, you don't have any friends here, do you?" Chris says.

"Shoot me," Scott snaps.

"Geez," Chris mutters. He presses the button on his remote. Scott sails into the sky with a pulsating scream. Chris faces the camera. "Well, that's all folks! But the merge is just starting, and you won't want to miss a second of the fierce competition and drama sure to come, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"All I have left on this island is Dawn, but I don't know who to trust anymore. I opened up to Mike, only to regret it completely. Without Dawn, I'd vote myself off. But since I still have her for now, there's only one person left to vote for. Sorry, Scott. I don't even trust myself now, but I still trust Dawn more than you."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Scott, I know what you did to Zoey and Mike, and I wish I could vote for you a million times over. This will have to do."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

"I know I'm probably getting kicked off since Dawn and Zoey are tight, but I did Zoey a favor before I go. She would've just ended up miserable with Mike and his defect, so I showed her the truth early. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll vote for herself so that me, Dawn, and her all enter a tiebreaker."

* * *

NOTE: I should probably address the fact that I eliminated two of the most controversial contestants in a row, one of them being the arch villain (unless you count Jo as that, I'm not imposing my opinion here). Yes, Anne Maria's and Scott's conflicts with other contestants are on hold for now, but I promise they will reappear in a future season. ;-) I honestly felt that Scott lasted too long in canon; I also don't often enjoy the TD cliche where the main villain doesn't get his or her just desserts until the Top 4, 3, or 2. I can almost guarantee that Scott will get his shining moment in the next season though; maybe not in terms of ranking, but in development for sure. Still, there's still plenty more drama to come...

P.S. Has anyone been noticing the pieces of irony here and there? I put them in every episode, though some are pretty subtle. Feel free to point them out if you spot them.

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- A teaser for what's coming in a TDAS remake sometime in the future.

**[2]**\- There actually are timbers in canon, but I changed that to make the mine even more dangerous. I know, I'm devious.

**[3]**\- Like canon, I'm censoring out all curse words except crap, hell, suck, etc. (The words that teenagers don't consider curse words, but_ strong_ words.)

**[4]**\- Here's a mini Australian slang dictionary, free of charge:

bizzo- business

arsekisser- butt-kisser (Yeah, pretty obvious.)

bastard- form of endearment OR a serious insult

wowser- prude

Sheila- woman

ankle biter- small child

greenie- environmentalist

lass- girl, girlfriend

pash- kiss long and passionately

dipstick- idiot


	17. Grand Chef Auto (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Well, this is the big merge, folks! There will be a "B" plot (no, not the contestant B) with Sam and Dakota in this episode, as I left their plot hanging a bit two episodes ago.

**dirtbags**: It depends on how you look at it. Jo was much ruder than Scott overall, made the first alliance of the season, and tried to be her team's dictator. Scott, however, actually eliminated other contestants and played dirtier, meaning most people would probably see him as the main villain. Either way, they are both antagonists. But Jo is on the path to growing out of that role...

**Guest**: Well, let's just say that Mike can't hide from his disorder forever. (I'm clearly hiding something here; you'll find it out soon.)

Two of my best reviewers, VeryUnknown and WishStarAllie, have been missing from this story for a while. I appreciate the insightful and helpful reviews you two have given me, and I will be thrilled if I ever see you again. Thanks to other people who have reviewed as well, your feedback helps and encourages me to make this story great.

* * *

**CONTESTANTS**

REMAINING: Dawn, Zoey, Jo, Mike, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam, Anne Maria, Scott

**RECAP**

Chris stands in the middle of the dock, a cloudless sky and the campgrounds behind him. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: We had our campers face the treacherous depths of our radioactive mine, now officially closed." He tilts his face to the sky. "GOT THAT, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRON-WHATEVER? Ahem. Scott let Zoey in on his financial struggle, which we aired on television, of course! We also aired Brick's dirty laundry- turns out his fear of the dark comes from a pretty dark childhood itself. He sacrificed himself to some mutant gophers to save his team, and it paid off in the end. Both teams managed to get split by a mine collapse and mine tracks, resulting in some bonding between Mike and Zoey and friction between Jo and Cameron. In the end, the Maggots won, thanks to Dawn grabbing the wrong statue _on purpose_ to eliminate Scott! It worked, but Scott left a farewell gift for Zoey in the form of heartbreak from Mike, or should I say Manitoba? Now that the teams are dissolved, how will our top six fare with each other? Who will be going home next? Find out here, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

The camera view encompasses the still cabins. Chris walks into view and positions himself between them. "Morning, Total Drama viewers! This season, we decided to ask our top six how they feel about making it to the merge, and had them speak their answers in the confessional. Check it!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo leans against the wall, smiling like she were without a care. "This is the most confident I've ever felt in the game so far. I've been _waiting_ for this, for my time to really shine in the challenges. I'm at my best going solo, even my track coach says so." Her smile falls. "Problem is, I'm stuck in the merge without any allies, and a lone wolf who dominates in challenges is the biggest target there is. Meaning, it's time to get Brick and Cameron on my side. Shouldn't be too hard, right?" Her eyes shift away from the camera.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"My thoughts in a nutshell: 'Wow, I actually made to the merge!'" Cameron says. "Logic said I wouldn't be able to do it, but I defied logic! The merge should be an opportune time for me, thanks to my alliance with Dawn and freedom from team constraints. Now if I lose a challenge, I can be seen as non-threatening instead of a weak link. I can even include Mike in the alliance if Dawn agrees. She'll probably ask me if we can include Zoey, so I say it's a fair request. With four people, we could eliminate anyone we choose, namely Scott if he's still in." His expression sags as though carrying a sudden burden. "Oh God, I hope not. If he managed to pull something off..."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

Dawn has her ankles crossed, hands clasped in her lap. "Well, it'll be nice to speak to Cameron and Brick with the absence of team boundaries. I'm more preoccupied with Zoey and Mike though, it's time I step in and help. Scott has thrown a wedge into both their friendship and my thoughts... He was right that I should've helped him. I was so busy making sure Zoey didn't get pulled into his dark aura that I didn't address the core of the problem. His father has instilled a distorted mindset in him though, it would have taken more than a few days to fix. This was his fate in the end."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Since I'm heading into the merge with mostly-nice people, it shouldn't be too bad," Zoey says. "I... I should be happier than this. I've always dreamed of making this far in Total Drama. But I just can't bring myself to."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike's face is turned away from the camera and buried into his hand. "I shouldn't be here right now. My disorder can't take this,_ I_ can't take this. I made Zoey cry, and I don't even know why." His free hand folds into a claw on his knee. "I couldn't tell her the truth."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"This should be interesting," Brick says, rubbing his hands together. "It's every man and woman for himself or herself. I wonder if the challenges will be harder. At least there's nice people around so that the contest doesn't get too out of hand. I've gotten along with everyone here, so I'm feeling pretty safe from elimination. But just in case, I'm gonna be trying my best at the challenges. I'll miss working with my teammates, but I'm alright on my own."

* * *

**MUTANT MAGGOTS' CABIN**

Brick's bed is empty, and Cameron sits cross-legged, equipped with his notepad and a pencil. He stares up at Mike's bunk, where Mike is tossing and turning.

Mike flips over to his left, blanket wrapping around him. "What did you do to her, Manitoba?" His voice is quiet, yet forceful. "I saw a hat on the ground, and I know it was yours."

He reverts to his right. "Hey, I didn't know she was going out to meet _you_!" he says in Manitoba's voice. "That ginger crook tricked me!"

"Scott? You're kidding."

"I ain't, my lad. I never mess with others' love affairs- er, not on purpose anyway."

"I'm never gonna have an affair with_ anyone_ thanks to you guys."

Mike wrestles out of his blanket and slides into a split, eyes still closed. "Now, you know dat isn't true," he says in Svetlana's voice. "It's only your fault you've never had a date."

"Oh really?" Mike snaps. "You all are the reason I'm the weirdest guy at school. You make me too embarrassing to be around. You don't tell me anything you do, so I can't even try to explain myself. I can't tell Zoey I'm sorry because I don't know what_ Manitoba_ did."

His expression melts into one more quiet. "We don't tell you because you block out every-zing we say."

"Yeah, what's the point of telling if you despise us?" Manitoba says.

Mike folds his legs together. "I would despise you less if you just told me what happened."

"I doubt it, but I'm feeling pretty darn guilty anyway. I called your dear lass a slurry."

"Um, what?"

Manitoba puts an arm behind his head. "Argh, do I have to say it?... Okay, I called her a slut."

"WHAT?" Mike screams, scrambling to his feet. He hits his head on the ceiling with a _CRACK!_ and wakes up. He collapses back on his bed, rubbing his head. "God, I need to stop doing that."

"Maybe you could sleep on the ground?" Cameron says. "If this keeps up, you could lose numerous brain cells."

"I think I already have."

"Nothing wrong with prevention from further damage." Mike bends in toward his knees, eyes devoid of light. His hand digs into his hair, raising spikes. "Mike? You okay?"

"No," Mike murmurs. "No, I'm not. But I'm sure Zoey is worse."

Cameron climbs the ladder and seats himself across from Mike. "You should tell Zoey the truth for both you and her."

Mike looks at his knees. "I know." He looks up. "Wait, how do you know?"

"You were sleep-talking with your personalities."

"Oh yeah, I tend to do that. Didn't help my case with Lightning. Sorry if I kept you up."

"You didn't, I brought earmuffs just in case anyone snored loudly or, um, sleep-talked."

"Good," Mike sighs. "Sorry for this also, but knowing what brings out my personalities hasn't really helped. I can't control what happens to me."

"It's alright, I have another idea that might help." Cameron adjusts himself to look taller. "Try establishing a good relationship with your personalities. They can alleviate your memory loss by filling in the gaps for you. Plus, they are a part of your mind, Mike. Hating them isn't good for your mental health."

Mike blinks again and again. "But they're the cause of all my problems! Do you know what it's like to have every single one of your issues stem from one thing, and you can't get rid of it? Amnesia. Loss of consciousness. Out-of-body experiences. Voices talking in my head. Embarrassment and isolation at school. Zero friends at home. Never going out except for school and appointments. Burden to my parents. Hurting Zoey. My disorder dominates my life. Even my therapists take hours of my time trying to fix it." He hides his face in his arms. "All of it is hopeless. You know I can't even remember my birthday? I have to keep asking my parents when it is, and I... I feel stupid."

Cameron looks like he wants to pat Mike on the shoulder. "You're anything but stupid, Mike. Maybe it's not as worse, but I do know how it feels to have a problem causing many others. Coming here was the first time I stepped out of my bubble that I can remember. I've felt a lot of what you've felt."

Mike lifts his head, eyebrows scrunched together. "Wait, you live in a bubble?"

Cameron's lips curl. "An inflated one, yes."

"Geez, Cam, I'm sorry to hear that. That's just... I can't even imagine."

Cameron's smile stays. "Just like how I can't imagine having DID. But you do what you can, right? Prove to other people you're not any less than them inside, that you have your virtues. If Zoey stays away after you tell her about your disorder, well, at least you tried."

Mike pulls down his gaze. "I'd rather have her keep hating me than tell her and have her avoid me."

Cameron gives him a steady stare. "Really? Are you sure?"

Mike blinks around the room. His eyes land on the door, and he exhales.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I felt like Dawn in there, talking to Mike," Cameron says. "I'm pretty good at comforting people, I guess. I just tell my mom knowledge that I think will help her, and it usually works."

* * *

In the woods, Dawn and Zoey walk on the sunlight of the path. Dawn cups acorns in one hand and drops them with the other, forming a loose trail. She cranes her head, watching a mutant squirrel approach the acorns.

"Are you doing that so we don't get lost?" Zoey says.

Dawn turns her head. "Hm? Oh, I know my way around. I'm just testing to see if there are any non-mutated squirrels on this island."

"Don't you think you would've seen one by now if there were? We've been here eight days, Dawn."

**ZZT!** The squirrel shoots lasers at an acorn, burning it to ashes. The light falls from Dawn's eyes, turning them gray. "I suppose."

Zoey closes her eyes and releases a sigh quiet as a whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm letting out my anger on you. I really think knitting will help me a lot more than being outside."

Dawn takes her hand in hers, drawing Zoey's gaze. "Don't worry about me, you need to talk your emotions out with someone. Neither knitting nor walking will do it."

Zoey looks to the trees. "I don't know what to talk about, other than I'm not eager to see Mike again."

"I didn't think you would be." Dawn takes her hands away. "I can sense there's more on your mind than him though. By any chance, are you thinking back to the time your parents died?"

Zoey's eyelids flutter up and down. "Wow, how do you_ do_ that? But yeah... that's it. It's just- I feel like just as I gain something, and I'm on top of the world, I get knocked back down. Rinse and repeat. I was saved from getting kicked out by switching teams, and I found hostility from Anne Maria. I became friends with you, and I found out my friendship with Mike was never real. Still, I keep thinking it's not as worse as before." She bows her head. "You probably knew this, but my parents died in a house fire."

Dawn nods. "I would still like to hear your story though, if it's not too painful for you."

"It's not. I was only eight at the time." She stares ahead. "It was the middle of the night. I woke up and smelled smoke... I didn't know what was happening. A fireman came to my room and carried me out of my bed, and I thought he was kidnapping me. I screamed for my parents, but the fire closed my throat. When we got to the front of my house, I saw that my parents' bedroom was in flames and tried to run back in."

She blinks. "I mean, that wasn't the only part on fire, but it was the only one I cared about. 'Course, I never got to them. I don't even know how the fire got started, but everything was in tatters. My grandma took me in that very day, I was lucky she lived nearby. But I was too much of a mess to be grateful. I refused to go to school the week after, and she let me. She wanted me to come with her to buy me new clothes, since my whole wardrobe was destroyed in the fire, but I didn't want to go anywhere." She clears her throat, eyes squinting. "I didn't go to my parents' funeral."

Dawn puts a hand on her shoulder, expression softer than a feather pillow. "Zoey..."

Zoey clears her throat again. "I'm fine. So, I finally went back to school and felt isolated, even though I wasn't. I felt like I didn't belong anymore. I could hardly speak, and whenever my friends spoke to me, all I kept thinking was that they would never understand my pain. Soon they drifted away, and... well, I let them. I let everyone slip away. I visited the school counselor_ and_ a psychologist for a year, and they were the only people I really talked to besides my grandma. In the meantime, I was just wearing my grandma's clothes, because who cares how they dress when they're in grief? That's how I became an outcast at my school, though no one except me remembers. Or maybe they didn't know in the first place. Either way, the popular kids love to pick on me. But I brought their treatment on myself."

A smile creases her face, a ghost in her eyes. "But you know what? It's actually the opposite of the pattern, because I got to live with my grandma after my parents' death. I lost and gained, and they balanced out in the end. So yeah, that's my story for you."

"I'm so sorry," Dawn whispers. "You should have never had to go through such trauma."

"Well, the past is the past. It's always the present pain that hurts me more."

A new aggression blossoms in Dawn's expression, making her squinty-eyed. "Still though, I hate when good people like you get so much hurt! You did_ not_ cause your peers' treatment toward your own self, that's a blatant misunderstanding. In fact, their behavior is wholly unjustified. Everyone stumbles under grief, no one should expect you to handle it better than anyone else." Dawn steps in front of Zoey, making her stop. "Zoey, I want you to be happy. You deserve it. Please focus on what you _do_ have, and I promise things will get better. You made it this far on Total Drama, right? And I'll always be here for you when something bad happens from now on. Last of all, Mike is hiding a secret from almost everyone here, and I'm sure he'll tell you it sooner or later. Just- try to keep an open mind when that happens."

Shadows fall over Zoey's features. "Keep an open mind? I already know his secret, he's a jerk."

"He really cares about you," Dawn whispers. "It's written all over his aura."

Sunlight dances in Zoey's eyes, their brown color blotted out by reflecting water. She sidesteps Dawn and walks down the path with a labored step, tucking her hands inside her arms.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"If fate had a sense of justice, it would always reward the kind and punish the cruel," Dawn says. "But this is something Zoey needs to grow out of, pinning blame on herself. And I'll help her through it- not because I feel the need to, but because she's my friend." She slings one leg over the other and puts her hands in her lap, staring at them. "She and Cameron are the first friends my age that I've had in a while."

* * *

The campers pour into the main lodge. In the kitchen behind Chef's window, Chef stirs a soup that smells like onions and dirty laundry. The teens drift toward their corresponding team tables, but no one sits down.

"We can sit wherever we want now, right?" Brick says.

"I think so," Mike says. Everyone gathers to the table near the door. Dawn and Cameron claim adjacent seats, and Jo seats herself on Cameron's other side. He budges himself toward Dawn on the end. Brick sits across from Jo. Zoey takes the seat next to him, but springs up when Mike sits beside her.

Zoey's expression is built up like a tower of wooden planks, trembling under its composure. Mike sucks in his breath. "Zoey-"

"You don't have to say it. I know I'm a fool." Zoey steps out of the bench and strides to the other table.

Jo and Brick stare after her with quizzical looks. Dawn slides off the edge and glances at Cameron. "Excuse me." She walks after her.

Cameron meets Mike's eyes across the table. "Sorry Mike." He gets up and follows Dawn.

Brick and Jo look at Mike, who rests his cheeks in both hands. "Um, did you do something?" Jo says.

"That obvious, huh?" Mike mutters.

"Respect his privacy, Jo." Brick's jet-colored eyes remain unblinking on her face, and she nods.

The door opens, and Chris and Sam walk in. Brick raises a hand to Sam, but he responds with only a twitch of his mouth before disappearing into Chef's kitchen.

"Morning, contestants!" Chris says. "Well, well, I see you all knew the merge was coming."

"Uh, yeah, because you told us," Mike says.

Chris puts a finger underneath his chin. "I did? Hm, don't remember. Anyway, you guys are all officially merged! Give yourselves a pat on the back, because the challenges are gonna be harder from now on, namely because you're all on your own."

Jo flexes her fingers. "Should be fun."

"Eh, today's challenge should be, for certain people." Chris's eyes sweep over the tables. "Hey, Chef! Why don't these kids have their gunk yet?"

Chef clomps to the window with a tray of six bowls, a sneer across his face. He drops it onto the edge with a clatter. "Breakfast is served." He swivels around and opens a door in the kitchen, walking outside.

The contestants stare after him. "I know why he's angry," Chris says. "He's just a little possessive, sometimes he doesn't get good entertainment. Everyone, come outside after you're done, and we'll start the challenge."

Dawn, Cameron, and Zoey grab their bowls first and head back to their table. Cameron taps Dawn from behind, and she stops. "I have to talk to you about our alliance," he whispers.

"Oh." Dawn goes off to the wall, and Cameron follows. "About that- can we include Zoey?"

Cameron puts a hand in his sweatshirt pocket. "Er, actually, I don't think she'll get along with Mike right now. I wanted to include him in the alliance."

Dawn's foot taps. "That wouldn't work either, unless we only have either Zoey or Mike join."

"Darn," both of them say.

"You're close to Zoey, right?" Cameron says.

"Yes. Same with you and Mike?"

"Yup."

"Is there any way to make this work?"

Cameron shrugs. "I suppose we could just ask both of them separately to vote for a certain person."

"Who? Jo?"

His lips curve up. "Yeah. You're a good guesser."

Dawn returns the smile. "I'm aware. I sense you've at last gained the respect of everyone here, congratulations."

Cameron watches Jo as she sits down. "Well, I wouldn't say that about Jo."

"You've gained her respect too, don't worry."

His eyes line up with the frame of his glasses. "Zounds! How'd I manage to do that?"

Dawn giggles. "You just proved your toughness to her."

"Oh. Yeah... that makes sense."

Brick shovels yellow soup in his mouth as though he were in a eating contest. Jo and Mike hold their spoons in the air, watching him. "What are you chowing down for?" Jo says. "It can't be _that_ good."

Brick gulps. "I need to ask Sam something." He resumes shoveling.

"Can't you just leave your soup here and come back for it later?"

He gulps again and turns to her. "Well, the soup won't be hot then."

Jo perches one eyebrow and tastes her soup. She spits it out. "For your information, it's nasty either way. Do I have to call you Brick for Taste Buds now?"

Brick tips the bowl to his lips and downs the rest. He stands up. "In the military, ma'am, you take what you can get."

He walks to the kitchen. "Don't call me 'ma'am'!" Jo calls to his back.

He turns his face sideways to show a smirk. "And don't call me Brick for Taste Buds!"

Jo scoffs. "I wasn't planning on calling you that anyway, it's too long!"

Brick walks through the flapping gates into the kitchen. Mike and Jo eat their soup silently, wincing with every bite. Every once in a while, one looks up at the other with a not-so-casual glance. When both are about halfway finished, Jo pushes her bowl aside. "Look, Mike, I know something's up. I always see you moping around, and frankly, it just makes things more awkward. So either you get _whatever_ off your chest, or I'm leaving."

He makes eye contact with her, his face expressionless. "I have Multiple Personality Disorder."

Jo stares at him with furrowed eyebrows. He rises. "That's what's up." Without looking at anyone, he gets up and leaves the building.

Brick sees Sam at one of two sinks, humming the Super Mario Bros. theme song. He walks across the mustard-yellow tile floor, wide as an average-sized living room, and taps Sam on the shoulder.

"AH!" Sam whirls around with a plate, splashing water and soap on Brick's shirt. His posture relaxes. "Brick! Phew. Sorry man, didn't mean to splash you. I thought you were Chef and-" **[1]**

"It's fine," Brick says. "It'll dry. I just came to check on you. How's the intern work?"

"Eh, could be worse. I actually got to test the challenge today, it was awesome! Made me wish I could be back in the competition. I can't tell you what it is though, Chris's orders."

"No problem. It can't be any worse than yesterday's." Brick knocks on the wooden cabinet under the sink. "How are things with Dakota?"

Sam's expression loses its good cheer, and he turns back to the sink. Washing the plate under running water, he exhales all the air in his body. "Terrible."

Brick leans away. "_Terrible_? How?"

"She's crying right now. Both the work and homesickness are really wearing her down." Sam whips the towel off the oven and dries the plate, his eyes shadowed. "She said nothing can make her happy here."

Brick winces. "Ouch."

"You betcha."

Sam places the plate on a stack in front of Brick. "I can finish off what you have here."

Sam grants him a smile: not warm, but not cold either. "I don't need any favors, Brick."

Brick puts a hand on his neck. "I know. It's just- it looks like you could use the help."

Both look down at the mess of dishes, bowls, cups, and silverware hiding the inside of the sink. Sam releases a small chuckle with its usual grit. "I guess I could. There's another sink you can use."

"Thank you, comrade." Sam chuckles again, and a smile sprouts on Brick's face as he gathers up half the workload. He walks to the other side of the kitchen and cranks on the faucet, then dumps the load and begins washing.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Helping Sam felt really good," Brick says, the corners of his lips curling up. "I didn't feel any obligation, you know? I just helped a friend. I actually found myself thinking back to what Dawn said about doing things to prove myself, and I think I get it now. Everything I did in the past was me enforcing my code, trying to seem like the perfect soldier. But none of that came from my heart." He stands up and opens the door. "I won't strive to be perfect from now on. I'll strive to be real."

* * *

All of the contestants stand outside the main lodge, tapping their feet or looking at their watches. They turn around as Dakota approaches, pushing a TV screen in front of her. She stops, wipes her forehead, then pushes the TV screen one more foot behind the group. Chris passes by her and stands by the screen. "G'day, contestants!"

"You greeted us already, remember?" Zoey says.

"I did? Man, am I off today! Never should've skipped my coffee. But on to the challenge. Today, it's all about grabbin' 'em and taggin' 'em!"

"You mean, we're playing tag?" Cameron says.

Chris lowers his eyelids. "Let me explain, please. First up is the Smash n' Grab." The blank screen switches to a frontal view of the kitchen. "Hidden somewhere in the mess hall kitchen are six keys to Chef's private collection of vintage go-karts. Some drive like well-oiled machines- others, not so much." All of a sudden, the contestants look less confident. They stir, and Brick has gone a few shades whiter.

Chef stomps over to the scene, seeming primed to punch someone. "_Chris_! Don't let these clowns drive my carts! They're gonna smash them!"

"Yes, and car crashes equal ratings!" Chris replies. "Demo time! Say hello to the competitor who almost won it all, and then lost everything: Alejandro!" **[2]**

**VVVRRRRROOOOMMM!** A silver go-kart sprints behind the contestants. They scream and scatter as the kart skids to a stop, right where they were standing. The driver steps out, and everyone stares.

Alejandro's face is encased in white wrapping. His eyebrows, nostrils, and mouth stand out like crude drawings. Bandages are wrapped all around his hands so that they look double their size. He wears a maroon turtleneck and sneakers, and his hair is shaved in a buzzcut. The sole similarities to last season lie in his pants and his eyes, which hold the gleam of a vicious predator.

It fades as his eyes look around, leaving them as calm green as the sea. "My apologies. I've only recently been learning how to handle this vehicle."

A collective silence overhangs like a thick cloud. Dawn is the only one with a hand to her mouth. Alejandro's gaze flickers to her, and she drops it and clears her throat.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Alejandro's aura," Dawn murmurs. "It was so..._ dark_. Like it was possessed by demons."

* * *

"What a surprise, huh?" Chris says with an ever-so-shameless smile. "As Alejandro has just demonstrated, these karts drive really, really fast! Some of them, anyway. It's your job to drive to and tag every landmark on the GPS that you'll soon receive."

"What do we tag with?" Jo says.

Chris sweeps his arms to Alejandro. "Alejandro, demonstrate."

Alejandro pops the cap off a can of spray paint. He sprays the nearest pine tree and creates a red star on its trunk. "And that's how you make a tag," Chris says. "You might want to make a dot to go quicker. Hand out the GPS systems, will you?"

Alejandro drops his spray paint for six GPS systems in his kart and hands them out, meeting eyes with everyone. He leans in toward Dawn as he gives the last GPS to her, and she pulls away. "You have an insightful eye, don't you?"

"Yes," Dawn murmurs.

"Interesting." He walks back to his cart and sits inside, his gaze sweeping over the contestants with the keenness of a hawk. "Good luck, everyone."

He drives away. All the campers exhale. "He was the best Total Drama villain of all time," Zoey murmurs.

One of Jo's eyebrow curves in toward a "v". "What are you talking about? That was Heather, she outranked him."

"Actually, Alejandro has the best track record of all the contestants," Chris says. "We have been calculating the average score of every contestant for the upcoming two seasons, and I told Alejandro he could join Total Drama All-Stars if he could demonstrate this challenge. But he's a shell of his former self right now, so I wouldn't worry. Yet. Heheh." He points at a spot a few strides away from the steps. "Anyway, line up in front of the mess hall so we can get this challenge on the road. Ha, 'road'! Get it?"

The contestants ignore him as they get into position, bent-down and leaning forward. "Of course you don't," Chris mutters. "By the way, did I mention that the last person to finish the race is automatically booted off the island?"

The group shoots up. "NO!"

"I didn't? Wow, I_ really_ need a two-hour nap. Anyways, players, commence smashing and grabbing... NOW!"

The contestants plow forward. Their feet sound on the steps like thunder, and Mike enters first, followed by Jo, then Brick. Sam, sweeping with a broom on one side of the cafeteria, stops and watches as the contestants pass by.

Mike skids into the kitchen and makes a hard left to a series of cabinets. Jo spears him with a glance before claiming a shelf cluttered with bottles, bags, and pots.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I didn't like being beat in races before, and I don't like it now," Jo says. "Since when could Mike run that fast?" She sits up and crosses her arms. "He's starting to look like a threat now that he's alone."

* * *

Cameron stoops next to a table and searches under its tattered tablecloth. Stacks of pots and pans lie with crushed soda cans. He lifts a soda can toward his eyes and shakes his head, then disappears completely under the tablecloth.

Dawn and Brick check separate sinks. Dawn sifts through the dishware in the shelves under her sink, and Brick taps the stack of dishes he washed as he passes by. He stops and turns around, then pulls a silver key out from the dishes. The corners of his mouth tug up. "Thanks Sam," he whispers.

Zoey opens a closet to see a jungle of brooms, mops, and buckets. She steps inside and pushes away the equipment in front, then kneels down. Searching the floor, she moves the brooms and mops into the back. When she slides a bucket against the wall, a cockroach roughly the size of a housecat pokes its head out, red eyes flashing.

"ACK!" Zoey scrambles to get away. The cockroach crouches on the edge of the bucket and springs, flying into her face. Zoey staggers out of the closet, screaming and yanking on the cockroach.

The other contestants turn around and gasp. "Oh crap!" Mike yelps, rushing toward her. As he pulls on the cockroach with Zoey, Brick joins in.

"I've seen mutated sharks, octopi, gophers, and the like," Jo says, "but seeing a bloated cockroach is just disgusting." The cockroach latches off Zoey's face and falls on the floor. Brick kicks it into the closet, and it retreats into the depths.

Zoey raises trembling hands toward her face. "I-I need to wash off." She strides past Mike to the sink, ignoring his gaze.

Mike walks back to the cabinets, but Jo is already there, holding a key. "Should've looked a little harder, huh? Found it in the cookie jar." She walks to Brick as Mike looks after her with lifted eyebrows.

Cameron dives halfway into a stock pot, leaning on his toes. He slides his hand around the bottom and fishes out a key. "Yes!" As he climbs out, a mutant cockroach does the same from a smaller pot. "Uh oh."

He leaps out from the table, sliding on his stomach. The cockroach flies out and latches onto the olive green wall in front of him. "Phew!"

Dawn moves to the ovens and opens them both. A key lies on a tray in the second one, and she sighs. "I should've known it was that easy."

Mike reaches to the top of a shelf and retrieves a pitcher. He tips it over, and a key falls into his hand. Tapping it to his chin, he looks at Zoey searching the ladles hanging over the ovens.

He goes to her. In the hand dangling by her side, he presses the key. Zoey clutches it and turns around, and her expression wears down like she has been moving heavy boxes all day. Mike does a half-smile and walks to a shelf opposite to the one he checked.

He opens a cookie jar first, and lifts out a key by his fingers. "Wow, just wow."

Chris steps in. "Has everyone found a key?" The campers raise their keys. "Good! Follow me."

* * *

The group enters a dirt yard sealed by wooden planks, forming a lopsided fence. On the other side lies six go-karts, all lined-up in a row. "Say hello to challenge Part Two: Grand Chef Auto!" Chris says. "I'll be giving you all your spray paint now, since you probably would've played with it if you got it beforehand."

"We're not six years old," Jo scoffs.

Chris passes out spray paint in assorted colors. "Well, you're still juveniles. And sixteen's only a 'teen' away from six. As I was saying, your mission is to get to the three landmarks first: the rock wall of looming disaster, the tippy-top of a giant totem pole, and the spooky tree in the haunted forest."

"_You let them trash my kitchen_?" Chef yells behind the group. They part to let him through. He stops over Chris, clenching his fists. "Chris man. Do you know how long it's gonna take to clean up?"

"Buddyyy. Brother from another mother! Relax, it's cool!" Chris picks a strap mop off the ground and thrusts it in Chef's hands. "See? I got you a new mop!"

"I left this mop there yesterday," Chef hisses.

Chris scratches his head. "Really? Oops. Don't remember." He turns to the contestants. "Now, about the go-karts... you'll have to steal them. From _Chef_."

A gasp arises from everyone except Jo, who yawns. "Eh, I've fought bigger."

"You _have_?" Brick says.

"Yeah, you should see my brothers."

"I don't think I want to..." _SNAP!_ Chef breaks the mop in half and walks to his karts, and Brick swallows.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick's hand goes up and down on the back of his neck, as though flattening hairs. "I prefer not to fight other people unless it's in self-defense. That's the reason why I struggle in hand-to-hand combat class in Cadets. I'll definitely have to defend myself from Chef... Even my drill sergeant is smaller than him."

* * *

Chris walks to a lawn chair next to a pile of tires and sits down. "And... GO!"

The teens look at each other, not moving from their spot. "Nobody touches my stuff," Chef says quietly, parting his feet. "NOBODY!"

"Someone needs to distract him," Jo whispers. "Any volunteers?" No one answers. "Fine. I'll go first."

She walks forward, drawing Chef's gaze. "Heya, Chef! What, are you too afraid we'll grab your precious babies if you move away?"

Chef's face twitches, but he stays planted. Jo continues to stalk forward, the rest of the group following behind her. "You are afraid, aren't you? Six of us against one of you, and we have some pretty strong athletes here."

"Ha!" Chef barks. "Six teens is nothing." He points at Brick. "Maybe he's strong, but the rest of you are puny." He eyes Cameron and Dawn. "Especially a few of you."

Brick steps in beside Jo. "Uh, for your information, Jo's a _very_ strong athlete. She can compete against me any day."

"And beat him too," she adds with a smirk. She takes one last step, leaving two yards between her and Chef. "Make your move."

His eyelids slide downward, black irises glittering. A breeze whistles past. Chef sprints forward, kicking up a spray of dirt. Jo takes two running strides and enters a slide, slipping under Chef's arm. He makes a snatch and misses by a hair. Turning his attention to the others, he reaches out and grabs the shirts of Dawn and Cameron as they run past. "I don't think so." He yanks them back, sending them to the ground.

He races to Jo and catches her shoulder just as she reaches the karts. With a low grunt, he slings her over his shoulder. "Hey!" Jo shouts, wiggling in his grasp. "Foul!"

Chef snorts like a bull. "Girl, this ain't basketball."

"Jo!" Brick says, stepping toward her and Chef.

"Don't wait for me," Jo says. "Care about your own skin for once!"

"But-"

"No buts, Cadet. This is a competition. Keep going, whatever it takes."

Chef grunts. "You've been standing there too long." He lunges at Brick, who thrusts a palm out and blocks Chef's arm from the side. A flash goes off in Chef's eyes. He grabs Brick's arm, but Brick chops his wrist with the other, and his hand flinches off.

He stares at his hand, then at Brick. Releasing his grip on Jo, she falls to the ground with an "oof!". Brick takes a step away, looking at her.

"Look at me, boy!" Chef shouts, and Brick jumps. "You're asking for war." He cracks his knuckles. "You're gonna get it."

Mike and Zoey help Cameron and Dawn up. "Brick's in trouble now," Mike murmurs.

"No he's not," Dawn says. "He's much better at fighting than he realizes."

Jo stands up and backs away towards the karts. Chef makes a cup with his hand and flaps the fingers. "Come."

"I- I don't want to fight you," Brick says. "I mean, you cook all the meals for us and-"

"COME, BOY!"

Brick trembles like a leaf. He takes one step forward, then another. He cuts a hand toward Chef's chin, and Chef jerks away. Chef copies his move, and Brick catches his hand. His other fist streaks toward Brick's face. It connects for a split second with a _CRACK!_, and Brick goes staggering back. Zoey sucks in a packet of air.

"Hm, looks like you can take a blow," Chef says. "Who trained you?"

All signs of hesitation are wiped off Brick's face. With a new spark in his eyes, he recovers the small distance between him and Chef. "Sergeant Daniel James Dipper."

Chef's mouth drops open. "I know that name! I went to war with him many times, he's up in training school now?"

Brick fidgets. "Uh, yes sir."

"Don't call me 'sir', son. We still have business to finish here. I wanna see just how well he trained you." As Chef speaks, an engine behind him revs, and Jo speeds off onto the path- one short burst at a time.

"You'll get to see that." Brick uppercuts, and Chef leaps back.

"Whoohoohoo! Almost got me there!" Chef feints a punch, then swings his foot up. Brick catches it inches from his chest and twists it ninety degrees, flipping Chef face-first onto the ground.

Dawn, Cameron, Mike, and Zoey run to the karts as Chef lies sprawled-out. He laughs like there is no pain, even while he holds his leg. "Dang, you have skills just like him! You're the second teenager who's bested me, and you're not even crazy. Except for liking my food."

Brick extends his hand and lifts him up. "I don't have skills like him, but thank you, I aspire to."

Four go-karts squeal off behind them. "Nonsense, soldier. You are just as good as he is, if not better. Give yourself a little credit, huh?"

Brick watches the others. "I really don't mean to discredit you, but I am not my sergeant. And I never will be." He ducks his head. "Sorry." After taking the last go-kart, he turns it on and drives off.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHEF

"Psht, Brick isn't nearly as boastful as Daniel," Chef says. "But he's a true prodigy anyway. Still, too much humility can cripple even the finest soldier... This won't be the last time I talk to him, mark my words."

* * *

The camera focuses on Chris, whose legs are stretched out on the tires. "Wow, quite the fight between Brick and Chef! Who will reach the first landmark first? Who will be the one to_ finish_ first? And most critically, who will finish last? Find out when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!

* * *

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- Something to note: Sam was going to end with "freaked out."

**[2]**\- I consider Owen, Beth, and Heather to be the past season winners because they won in the most countries. Also, I like that combination the most. (P.S. Alejandro had a very brief cameo before this one.)

NOTE: I_ was_ going to make this a full episode chapter... until I realized it would probably end up being around 15,000 words. I have yet to read a fanfiction with that many words in one chapter, and I'm not about to start. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I certainly enjoyed writing it. :-)


	18. Grand Chef Auto (Part 2)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Sudden change of plans: the next two episodes (Up, Up and Away in my Pitiful Balloon/Eat, Puke and be Wary) will be switched in their order. The new adjustment is now mentioned in my note in the first chapter of this story.

* * *

In a corner of the cafeteria, Sam's arms push a broom around in a mechanical motion. His expression has glazed over like a student's after an hour-long lecture.

The door opens. Dakota shifts inside with shiny red eyes, an unbrushed ponytail, and a tissue pinched over her nose. The glaze is wiped off Sam's face as he looks up at her, and he stops. "Hi Dakota."

"Hi Sam," Dakota says, a distinct quiver running under her voice.

"You... you okay?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

Sam hits a palm against his forehead. "Of course I had to say that."

* * *

Dakota closes the door, looking down. "I don't know." She walks toward the kitchen. "Sorry I couldn't help with the dishes earlier."

"Don't worry about it," Sam says as she passes by. "I get that you're struggling here."

She stops and turns her head. "You do? But I thought you were fine and dandy with all the work."

"I am." He winces. "Most of it, anyway. I know you're not used to it though, and that you miss your home and family."

Dakota cracks a smile. "Actually, it's just me and my dad. I'm glad you understand though. I thought I was coming off like a brat to you since your intern debut."

She enters the kitchen as Sam's mouth falls open. "Of course not! Chris_ forced_ you to become an intern, I _volunteered_ to become one. There's a big difference there, you weren't aiming to work in the first place."

She opens the closet and pulls out a broom. "You're sweet."

"Just telling it like it is. It makes sense to want your dad to take you from a job you never wanted."

Dakota starts sweeping in front of the kitchen nearby Sam. "Yeah, but at least I can talk to you, right?"

He arcs one eyebrow. "As a friend? If that's what you want."

She pauses. "Huh? I thought we were closer than that."

Sam returns to sweeping, turning his gaze to the floor. "Look, I'm used to embarrassing myself around girls. I always fall for the pretty ones, and they never feel the same way. So if you told me truthfully how you feel about me, you'd be doing me a favor."

A flush seeps into Dakota's cheeks. "Well, I'm certainly not pretty today. I don't even have any makeup on. Plus-"

"You look especially good with your ponytail today." Sam coughs. "Sorry. Go on."

Light floods into her eyes, making their grass green color flash brighter. "I do? Sam... I like you, but you gotta stop with the flattery."

"I'm not a liar, Dakota. Is that what you've been thinking all along?"

She sucks in a side of her bottom lip. "Kind of. I just feel like you see me as perfect, when I'm not."

"I-I d-don't just like you for your appearance! It's your personality too! But I've considered that maybe you didn't return my admiration for you."

"Of course I do! I gave you my phone number, didn't I? It's just- too much compliments make me uncomfortable."

Sam meets her eyes, his own wide and searching. "I've been making you uncomfortable? Is that why you've kept me at a distance lately?"

"That, and I don't think I can live up to your compliments."

Sam's broom clatters to the floor. He meets Dakota in a few strides and takes her hand in his. "You already do that without even trying. I like the way you are now, messy strands and all."

Dakota giggles. "Then I suppose that's _one_ thing I don't have to worry about."

"Heheh. If anything, I should be worried about not living up to you. Why don't you put the broom down? I have an idea for a picnic."

"You actually found food that's edible here?"

"Oh ho ho, no! Owen filled me in on where Chef's and Chris's food stash is. I'm sure they can spare a few bites."

"Psht, they owe it to us." Dakota drops her broom and takes Sam's hand, her features creasing into a smile. "Let's go."

* * *

Jo, Mike, Zoey, Dawn, and Cameron drive on a path across a field. Mike speeds behind Jo with Zoey on his side. Dawn crawls along the edge of the path, sweating across her forehead, and Cameron swerves from side to side behind her.

Dawn's eyes are glued to the road. "Is this your first time driving too, Cameron?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to get a feel for my kart's turning."

"I... I don't think this challenge is in either of our favors. I just want to let you know that if we end up racing against each other for the last spot, I'll let you win."

Cameron's expression flinches as though he were woken by an alarm. "Dawn, don't do that! Don't give up when the race has just started, we still have a chance."

"It is not so much a matter of giving up as it is helping someone who needs to win more than I do."

He smooths out his turns, now moving like a snake beside Dawn. "It's not like I _need_ to win. I already got saved once by a switch, it wouldn't be fair for either of us if you threw the challenge for me."

"But you are deeply despairing over going back to your bubble. You wish to prove to your mother that you can live without it, and winning will be the ultimate evidence. Is that not the reason you strategized to get rid of Scott?"

"... You know, I suddenly feel like I'm more transparent than I thought."

Dawn smiles. "Actually, you're quite the contrary. But unlike you, I have nothing to prove."

"You don't need the money or anything?"

"I came here to win and donate all my money to my favorite charities. So no, I don't really need it."

"Still, you want it, and I won't take it away from you."

They approach a right turn swooping onto a hill, which Mike and Zoey have reached the top of as Jo enters level ground. "I'm afraid it's not your choice."

Cameron sighs. "I guess not. Careful when you t-"

_SCREECH!_ Dawn veers onto the grass. She yanks the wheel left and scrapes the back of Cameron's kart, her irises floating in the whites. "Sorry!"

"It's okay! You're just getting used to it." Cameron speeds ahead of her. "Try to accelerate constantly. You can't gain momentum in time if you keep slowing down."

Dawn shakes her head, shutting her eyes. "Just keep going. I'm never going to master this kart, I don't even approve of driving vehicles."

Cameron turns sideways, one eye meeting hers. "If I can learn how to drive, you can too. Don't give up."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"Cameron has changed a lot over the course of the season, though he may not realize it," Dawn says. "He somehow went from having me give him pep talks to encouraging me instead! I know it has much to do with Jo. I wish I could've helped him with her, but it was best to let nature run its course."

* * *

**SCREECH!**... **SCREECH****!**... **SCREECH****! **Jo darts forward another second before hitting the brakes, a smirk reclining across her face. "I've got this. I've got this. Victory is mine."

Mike slips past her in his kart, followed by Zoey. The smirk wipes off Jo's face. "Hey!"

"Sorry Jo!" Zoey yells. "Wait, why am I saying that? I'm competing!"

Jo slams the accelerator and approaches Mike and Zoey in a convoluted line. "Mike, don't think I'm going easy on you just 'cause you told me-"

"Shut it!" Mike's eyes flare, and Jo and Zoey stare at him. He looks at Zoey and closes his eyes. "Please don't, Jo."

Jo's kart races off the path without her notice. "-why you were moping."

Zoey shouts, "Jo, look-"

**BAM!** Jo hits a tree and jumps a foot in the air. A squirrel without any fur lands on her head. The two look at each other for a second before Jo slaps away the squirrel. Its yellow eyes deepen into red and shoot lasers at Jo's kart, burning twin holes into it.

Jo gasps, then pierces the squirrel with a look sharp as an arrow. "You should feel lucky I don't have time to make you roadkill." She backs up to her left, making the squirrel flee, and veers toward the path.

Zoey drives a few yards behind Mike in the middle of the path. She focuses on the gap between them as Mike glances backward at her. He slides a hand through his hair. "Zoey-"

"Can you not talk to me right now?" Zoey snaps. "I'm trying to win a challenge here."

Mike's expression falls passive for a beat, then a new coat of conviction solidifies over it. "You're a good driver, but I think I got a faster kart. I won't distract you by saying everything right now, but there's something I've been holding back. I swear it explains all the times I was a jerk, as well as any bizarre things that I've done. I know it seems like I was stringing you along, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for hurting you by not telling you the truth."

Zoey acts as though she cannot hear him, gazing ahead at a fork in the road. Both paths slope down to meet at a rock wall the size of a two-story house. The left path is straight, while the right path curves outward. "Oh, look! A shortcut."

Mike's face crumbles as she splits off onto the left path. He hits a fist against his wheel. "Rrrgh!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Okay, there are a million ways things could go by telling her," Mike says. He begins to unfold his fingers one by one. "Starting on the positives: she could completely forgive me and not care about my disorder. Heh, yeah, right. Did you see how Zoey reacted back there? _Maybe_ she'll accept my disorder, but I won't be surprised if she's skeptical. And if she's skeptical, then she won't forgive so easily. Even if she does, there'll still be whatever scars I left on her... that my _personalities_ left on her. God, it's hard not to hate them right now. She really has no reason to believe me. I'm just riding on hope here, and hope has never been enough. But the worst thing that could happen is if she thinks I'm some sort of freakish weirdo and shuns me." He chuckles, clearly failing to capture a casual tone. "But Zoey's chill! She wouldn't act that way, right? Right?"

He gasps, his eyes narrowing to form crow's feet. He hunches over. "Sure! And my saggy old butt will get crowned Miss Canada!" Throwing toilet paper over his shoulder as a makeshift sash, Chester begins to sing. "Here I a-a-a-a-m! Miss Canada-a-a-a-a!"

* * *

On the hill, Dawn travels upward in a shaky line, but keeps within seeing distance of Cameron. He cruises over the top, the only sign that he lacks driving experience being his laser-focused gaze.

"WATCH OUT!" Brick screams behind Dawn. She gasps and jerks her wheel to the side, narrowly avoiding Brick's kart. It blows her hair up as it passes, and Brick wiggles the wheel as though fighting with the kart for control. Cameron looks behind him as he rides down the hill. His mouth drops open as Brick careens toward him, and he cuts to the side.

"Sorry!" Brick shouts, his voice already fading from the air.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick lets out a low, grumbling sigh and holds his forehead. "I already have a hard enough time driving the vehicles in cadet school, now this? So far today, I've been tested in two of my weakest classes. I swear, this challenge is out to get me."

* * *

A dirt clearing encircles the rock wall, connecting to the paths from the fork as well as a new one. Zoey screeches to a halt at the end of the left path and jumps out, holding her spray can. She marks the empty wall with a pale pink heart, and pauses. Shadows climb into her eyes, and she sprays an arrow through the heart with a striped end.

She looks side to side before going back to her kart. As she drives onto the new path, Mike comes into the clearing. With green paint, he sprays a check on the wall and leans toward it, squinting. "Is this fake?"

His eyes go to Zoey's tag and stop. "Artsy," he murmurs. He glances at Zoey before running back to his kart and giving chase.

Brick approaches the rock wall like a speeding bullet. He slams on the brakes and skids sideways, crashing into the wall with a _BANG!_ A shudder passes through his body before he gets on his feet and wobbles to the wall. He sprays on a swooping purple mark that looks like an upside-down carot symbol. **[1]**

After he leaves, Cameron arrives at the landmark and eyes the gaping hole Brick made. "Is this made of foam?" He brushes his fingers over the wall. "Hm." He sprays a red question mark above the hole.

Dawn arrives not a minute later. Rushing to the now-colorful wall, she makes a blue peace sign above everyone else's marks.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I know Dawn told me to keep an open mind when Mike tells me his secret, and maybe I didn't do that," Zoey says. "But how can he possibly explain everything he's done? How am I supposed to trust what he says now? I _refuse_ to be manipulated by him twice."

* * *

Sam and Dakota sit on a picnic blanket near a cliff, a basket between them. Inside it are chips, cookies, a fruit plate, ham sandwiches, and water bottles. Dakota nibbles on a grape as Sam takes a bite out of a sandwich, and both look toward the horizon.

"Thanks for getting me out here, Sam," Dakota says. "I needed this."

One side of his mouth turns up. "No problem."

She switches her gaze to him. "I was wondering, when you said that you should be worried about not living up to me... why do you think that?"

He chuckles. "Huh, I thought it'd be obvious." He puts down his sandwich. "Well, let me explain it to you straight. I'm a nerd. A videogame nerd, to be exact. I'm also a couch potato, and it's pretty clear on the outside. Most of my friends are online, some even in different countries. You, on the other hand, work hard to maintain a good appearance and probably get out much more than I do. Not to mention have more friends in real life, heh."

"Okay, for the record, you've worked much harder here than I have."

"I'm really a slacker back home. But you, Dakota, motivated me to get off my butt and start working."

Dakota flashes a smile. "That's nice, but I was talking about not living up to me on the inside."

Sam blinks and opens his mouth, but Dakota holds a hand up. "Let me explain something now. I'm a bit of a hoarder. I accumulate clothes, beauty products, accessories, shoes, and friends faster than anyone I know. But that's because they all get old very quickly. I'm constantly switching out the old for the new because gaining things gives me a rush. I'm a greedy person who can't be grateful for what she has, and I _know_ that, but I haven't done anything about it. When you kept talking to me even though I kept shooting you down, that's when I began to feel a bit of gratitude. Even then, it was mainly because you made me look like I wasn't a loner. But then you want to get to actually know me, and you show concern for me, and I don't know how to react except to say thanks, when I'm really much more grateful than that. You're just so nice and humble and funny and, well, the better person here. I learned humility from you, which made me see who I really am."

Sam looks like she said all of his videogames were taken away. "I made you see yourself as a greedy ingrate?"

"No! You made me see that I_ am_ a greedy ingrate."

"But I've never seen that side of you before!"

"Really, Sam?" Dakota's eyes fill with tears. "Tell me I've never brushed you off to complain to a friend or beg my dad to take me home. Tell me I never gave you all of my intern work for my personal 'spa day'. Every day I spend with you makes me feel more and more awful. No, _guilty_." She stands up and wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't deserve this picnic."

Sam gets up. "Please, darling." Dakota's eyebrows twitch up, and he coughs in his fist. "Yeah, not smooth. Starting over. I wouldn't like you the way I do now if I minded your flaws. I have my own, you see. It's a fact of human life. But I never saw your actions as ungrateful, I saw them as missing your home. You gave me the benefit of the doubt until now, heheh." He draws himself beside Dakota and lays a hand on her back. "I don't know what your life back home is like, but I'm not judging you."

She plops back down with Sam and closes her eyes. "Thank you."

He rubs her back in a circle, and she leans into his hand as a feline smile inches up on her face. "Anytime."

Dakota jumps and pulls her cellphone out of her pocket. Her eyes scan the screen and light up. "My dad's able to take me home now!"

Sam grins. "That's great! Will he be here soon?"

"He says he'll probably be here in the afternoon, via helicopter."

"That'll be a fun ride."

She turns and looks Sam in the eyes, her excitement fading into the background of her expression. "The only thing I'll miss from this place is having you around. Do you still have my phone number?"

"Of course I do." Sam rummages in his pocket and pulls out her note.

"Good. In case I don't see you again today-" She reaches over and hugs him sideways, trapping his arms. He pats her own, wearing a smile with the same affection as her hug.

"Let's not let my burglary go to waste, shall we?" Sam says. Dakota lets go, and he picks up his sandwich. She takes a sandwich of her own from the basket and munches alongside him, and both look back toward the sky.

* * *

Zoey drives across a clearing with no blade of grass in sight, Mike's kart steadily creeping on her. Static streaks across her GPS, and she looks down at it. "Huh?" She holds it up beside her wheel and watches as the screen goes black, then shows Chris in front of the main lodge. All the color is drained from his face to look lifeless, his tongue hanging out and head lolled to the side. Zoey's eyes bug out. "Is this a joke?"

"Listen- up, " Chris says without moving his mouth. The syllables sound disjointed from each other, like a robot. "The three landmark wasn't tough- enough, so I change- ed the third." The screen pops back to the map, now showing a third orange dot to the right of the second landmark. "It- a- doozy, a mountain right in- the- middle of the- island. Now GET tagging and_ don't_ spare the paaaint. McLeaaaan, out."

The camera view switches to the main lodge, where Chef is holding the Chris dummy in one hand and a voice recorder in the other. He shuts off the video camera in front of him and grows a smile lined with malice. "Now _you'll_ get to see your prized possession ruined, Chris McLean. BWAHAHAHAHA!"

_A mountain of rock points to the sun. There is a jagged path leading to level ground near the top. A colony of interns in all shapes, sizes, and colors cut the top section at different levels, including Dakota, Sam, and Owen; some are using ladders or sitting on top of the structure. Chris sits in front of it all, slurping lemonade._

_Chef marches up to him with a not-so-pleasant air. "Chris! Why are you making all these interns build something completely unnecessary?"_

_Chris stands and places a hand on his shoulder. "Glad you came, buddy! This is my latest inspiration, and I have to say, I'm quite proud for coming up with it. I call it: Mount Chrismore!"_

_"Mount _Chris_more?"_

_"You got it! I figured since my mug is much better-looking than the presidents' mugs, why not show it off to the world? Who knows, one day it might become a national monument."_

_Chef lets out a loud, gritty huff. "You're not a president. You're not a god! You're a host, for Heaven's sake!"_

_Chris's expression flickers into something small and child-like, but he drowns it out with a snort. "And you're just jealous I'm an A-list celebrity while you're a lowly cook. Not to mention a lousy one."_

_Chef fine-tunes his gaze to stab through Chris's eyes. He turns on his heel and stalks back down the mountain. "Hopeless case," he mutters._

At the end of the clearing's path lies a towering rock with a totem pole near its cliff edge. Mike races up on its slope with Zoey now behind him. Approaching the landmark are Cameron and Brick, the latter covered in leaves and pine needles. Dawn reaches the halfway point of the clearing, though Jo is fast-approaching behind her. **[2]**

Dawn's kart stalls, the sound of the engine ebbing away. Dawn blinks a few times and presses the accelerator repeatedly. Casting a glance behind her, she twists the key in its hole and pulls it out. As she puts it back in, Jo rushes by her. She sighs and reignites the engine, driving forward once more.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHRIS

Chris leans in toward the camera. "I forgot to tell the campers that some of the go-karts are defective, heheh. Yeah, I'm surprised none of them got one that didn't work at all. But still, aren't I devious? And to think I was gonna give them _brand new_ karts when Chef had a hazardous supply ready."

* * *

Mike stops at the totem pole and stares up. The top of it is a speck in the sky, the bottom covered in a broken tree trunk. "Nice, Chris." He jumps, grabbing onto a carved monkey's mouth, and soon has his feet there as he advances to the beaver level. Zoey begins climbing then. When she is halfway up the first head, Cameron parks next to the totem only a second before Brick.

"Dear God, no," Cameron whispers, staring up at the totem.

Brick stretches out his arms and cracks his knuckles. "Sorry Cameron, but this challenge has finally decided to cater to my strengths." He jumps to the same area as Mike and pulls himself up with ease. Cameron reaches up and grabs the top of the tree trunk, then strains to pull himself up. A hissing noise whistles out of his mouth, and he falls back down, panting.

Brick looks down, teeth locked in a grimace. "... Want me to spray the top of the totem for you?"

Cameron's eyes blink wide for a second, but then he shakes his head. "You don't need to do that for me. Plus, that counts as cheating- not that Chris cared in past seasons."

Brick keeps climbing, surmounting the monkey head. "I feel like I should help though."

While watching him, Cameron's gaze grows more purposeful, as though he is figuring out something in his head. "Brick, do you feel a consistent obligation to help others, or does it just come naturally to you?"

Brick slows in his climbing. "I guess I did sound like I felt obligated to help you. Sorry about that. I truly don't want you to be stuck here though." His expression unfurls. "Actually, there's a way to help you climb! This is a basic tip I learned in school: put as much weight as possible on your feet. But when you're starting out on a tree, put your legs around it to lift your weight off your arms."

"I don't know how strong my legs are, but I guess it's worth a try." Cameron braces one leg around the trunk and hugs it with one arm. He pushes off his other leg and wraps it around, his whole body coming off the ground. "I'm up! I did it!"

"Excellent job, soldier! Now,_ don't _try to just pull yourself up with your arms. Pull your legs up and push off of them, like a snake."

Cameron slides his feet up, but loses his grip and skids back down. He shakes out his arms. "I'm okay. Just keep going, you've helped more than enough."

Brick does not move. "Are you sure?"

"I'm certain."

"Alright. Good luck." He puts on a burst of speed, his limbs in a location one second and gone the next.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"We've all seen Brick do a lot of selfless things, right?" Cameron says. "I'm sure at least some of them will be on air. He disregarded winning the challenge to help me- no, he wanted to do part of the challenge_ for_ me, when we hardly even know each other. I can't help but wonder where his behavior stems from. He skirted around my question, which could mean his actions are partially based on obligation. And if he feels obligated, obviously there's a reason for that, and I don't think it's just his code. Whether it's popularity, to increase his self-worth, or just to look good on TV, I don't know. But I'm interested in finding out. I'm sure he's a good person, but it's hard for me to believe he's Captain America good."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick stares at his palms. "I can feel that I'm doing it again. It's like something's forcing me to do things for others. If I don't obey, I feel awful. For some reason, I feel better just helping people- giving them one hand instead of two, if that makes sense." He slings a hand around his neck. "It's kind of weird."

* * *

Jo screeches to a halt at the totem pole and leaps onto it right away. At the top, Mike pulls himself onto a wing sticking out of the second-highest head and stands up. He puts one hand on the head. "Geez, my arms and legs feel numb."

"They'll be hurting tomorrow, soldier, so enjoy the numbness while you can." Brick stands on the other wing of the monkey.

Mike's hand stops reaching for his spray can. "Brick? I thought Zoey was behind me, but you caught up fast!"

Both pull out their spray paint and tag the top head of the totem. As they begin to climb back down, Brick says, "You surprised me yourself, being in first. I thought Jo would be here."

"Haven't seen her yet, but I don't think she's in front of Zoey." Right then, they pass by Zoey as she climbs up. Both her and Mike look away from each other, and Brick looks at the latter. By the time Zoey is long gone, the silence still lingers between Mike and Brick. The former shifts his mouth in a bland smirk, one without any enthusiasm. "You're probably wondering what happened to me this time."

"Well- yeah. Telling me is completely optional though."

"There's Jo," Mike says, looking at her on the head beneath them.

Brick follows his eyes. "Jo! Didn't you leave f-"

"Don't mention it," she snaps. "I may suck at driving, but I'm not the one covered head-to-toe in nature."

Mike waits until she is out of earshot to speak. "Is she usually like that to _you_?"

"Eh, not really. Why?"

"I was on her team since Day One, and, well- let's just say she wasn't too friendly toward anyone until you came."

Brick frowns. "She told me that she didn't treat you and Cameron well. I thought she was going to try to be nicer to you two."

"I don't know about Cam, but I haven't really noticed a difference."

Dawn slows in front of the rest of the karts. She gets out and sees Cameron wrapping his leg around the trunk, muttering, "I've got it this time..."

"Having trouble climbing?" Dawn says.

He turns around. "Dawn! You're last right now, you need to hurry."

"I know, but you'll be last when I climb, so same to you." She gets up on the trunk and nimbly climbs it, pushing off seemingly invisible footholds.

Cameron watches her with his mouth in a small "o". "Weren't you unable to climb Mount Looming Tragedy before?"

"Yes, but trees and totem poles are different!" Dawn calls from the first head.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

"I learned how to climb trees when I was very young," Dawn says. "I had to because a mother robin's egg had fallen from her nest near my house. Ironically, that was the day my mom bought a new ladder. Nonetheless, tree-climbing is something I do often to get a wider scope of the world around us. And to speak to the animals that live in the trees, of course."

* * *

Mike drives ahead of Brick on a path surrounded by grass and trees. Hearing Brick's kart zooming side to side, he looks back. "Uh, Brick, is something wrong with your kart?"

"No," he grunts, jerking the wheel right before the kart can hit the grass. "I'm just not accustomed to driving fast vehicles. My driving teacher keeps me away from those." He chuckles. "You can see why, right?"

"No offense, but yeah," Mike says, humor coloring his voice.

"You_ might_ want to keep far away from me."

"Gotcha." He veers to the side of the path just as a turn approaches. As he skirts the edge of it, Brick makes a sharp turn and hurtles toward him.

"_Argh, this kart_! Look out!" Brick gives his wheel a hard spin, and the kart skids sideways. **BAM!** Mike's kart goes flying down a slope into a stream, and Brick's kart streaks in the opposite direction into a bush. Zoey passes by, then Jo, with neither noticing Mike or Brick.

At the totem, Cameron is shown to be at the second head as Dawn drives away.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I can climb cylindrical objects now! This is the first time I've learned a survival skill firsthand, and can actually _do_ it." Cameron jabs a finger at the camera, a grin dominating his face. "Take that, bubble!"

* * *

Zoey sneaks a glance at the GPS beside her and sees an icon of her in front of everyone else's. "I'm first?... I'm first! Whoo! Go Team Zoey!"

She squints ahead. In front of her, the path is full of tight loops leading up to Mount Chrismore, a tiny block in the distance. "Looks like this is designed to make me dizzy." She races through the first loop and cuts close to the edge, entering the next one right after.

Jo approaches the first loop. "Nice try, Chris, but I'm not doing the merry-go-round." Slamming the accelerator, she cuts straight through the grass as well as the path.

**BOOM!** The explosion of a mine sends Jo soaring backwards through the sky. "NOOOOoooo!"

Zoey stops her kart and looks up behind her. "What on Earth?"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHRIS

Chris lets out a sinister chuckle, his voice deep in his throat. "I knew someone would try to pull that off."

* * *

Mike flips his wet hair out of his eyes, dripping all over with water. He hits the accelerator, and his kart splashes through the stream to the bottom of the slope. It crawls about a foot before pausing in the mud, and he lets out a guttural groan. Getting out, he grabs the front of the kart and drags it to the top, mud coating up to his jeans.

He heaves out a breath and looks ahead to see Dawn. Sighing, he gets back in his kart and drives onto the path.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike's bang has fallen down again, covering one of his eyes. He lifts his arms, and a rain shower falls from them. "You know, I'm really starting to get sick of water by now." **[3]**

* * *

Cameron climbs onto one of the wings of totem and wobbles to his feet, bracing himself against the head. His face shines like a mirror, and he sprays a crown in one quick, fluid motion. "One second to feel like the king of the world, aaand done."

Zoey slows to a stop at the end of the last loop and drops her head on the wheel. "Ugh, my mind is scrambled..." She turns her head and watches Brick drive in one of the middle loops, stopping and reversing every few seconds to undo a turn toward the grass. Dawn enters the first loop with Mike chasing her.

The camera view switches to a part of the woods bustling with greenery. "AAAAAAH-" Jo slams right onto the middle of it. "Oof!"

She looks around 180 degrees. "Ugh, has this become a theme now? Me getting lost by myself in the woods?" Turning around, she sees the go-kart path peeking through the trees. "Never mind."

Zoey picks up her head. "Okay, Zoey, you have to get moving," she murmurs, and accelerates her kart. It ascends about a meter of the slope to Mount Chrismore before crashing into the wall. She shakes her head vigorously and blinks. "Why can't I get my head on straight?" While sitting and closing her eyes, Mike surpasses Dawn in the middle of the rings while Cameron starts the loops. All three of them drive at a slow and steady pace, though Mike and Cameron skirt the edges as Dawn makes gentle curves in the middle of the path.

Brick approaches the end, and Zoey's eyes shoot open at the sound of his engine. She drives up the slope, wheels struggling along the steep angle. Brick's kart slows to a sudden crawl behind her and, within ten seconds, comes to a full stop.

He jumps out. "YES!" he shouts, letting out all his air. "Finally, I can stop driving this thing!" He begins to pull his kart behind him, a skip in his step.

Jo arrives at the ringed path and cruises along it. Cameron enters the same ring as Dawn toward the end. "Dawn! Don't stay so far away from the edge!"

"But I'm afraid I'll steer into the grass!"

"You need to take risks if you don't want to be last. Trust yourself." In the next ring, he enters the space between her and the edge, passing her. Dawn steers to align herself with the edge, slowing to a near-crawl.

Mike speeds up through the last few rings and streaks up the slope, the momentum carrying him past Brick. It wears off at the end, and he rolls his kart next to Mount Chrismore just as Zoey starts climbing it. He scales the neck of Chris's head alongside her, and she turns. Her mouth opens, but she snaps it shut and fixes him with a frosty look before increasing her speed. Mike edges ahead of her and reaches Chris's chin while she is too far away to spray it, and he pulls out his spray can. He pops the cap and stares up at Chris's chin. His eyes drift back to Zoey, who stares back at him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" she snaps. "Me to get up there so you can spray it at the last second?"

"No." He clicks the cap back on his can. "You to get up here so you can spray it first."

Her face loosens, eyebrows curling down and inward. "What?"

"I don't care about winning nearly as much as I care about you."

"That's- that's not- you're just trying to manipulate me again. It doesn't even matter who wins."

"True, but you deserve to win anyway. The only reason I got here first is because I had a better kart. You had to work much harder." He looks toward the sky. "It makes sense for you to not trust me, when I didn't trust you. I was too afraid you would reject me once I told you my secret, and look what a mess I made out of everything! I've been seeing myself as defective all along and disguising myself, when I should've considered you more and everyone else."

Mike meets Zoey's gaze with one completely somber, his irises black under the statue's chin. "Well, I'm not holding this shame inside of me any longer. If I want to accept myself, I need people who accept me first. And I can't build those relationships if I cut myself off from any chance of them. Zoey, I-" he swallows and squeezes his eyes shut- "I have Multiple Personality Disorder."

The hard layers melt off Zoey's expression, one by one, until only a single emotion is left: understanding. It clears the hurt from her eyes, relaxes her jaw, and erases the animosity in her gaze. She looks on as Mike leans his head against the rock, frozen in his position like a statue.

The dragging of wheels comes from beneath them. Brick drops his kart and starts climbing Chris's neck. Zoey brings herself to Mike's side and gently pulls his spray can out from his hand and the wall. His hand falls flat. Popping the cap off and letting it drop to the ground, she sprays "IT'S" on Chris's chin. She takes out her own spray can and writes "OK" next to the green. She nudges Mike's elbow.

Mike blinks his eyes open and follows Zoey's finger to her message. "You did that?" he whispers.

Zoey holds up both of their spray cans and smiles. "Consider me one of the people who accept you- all of you. Because they're all linked to_ you_, Mike."

His face breaks into an all-new expression, like the arrival of springtime. Grinning enough to make his eyes almost disappear, they shine and glisten. "These- these are happy tears, I'm quite sure." One falls down his cheek, and Zoey catches it with her finger.

Cameron arrives at Mount Chrismore. He stands from his kart and looks up at Mike and Zoey turned in toward each other, then at Zoey's message. "Stinks that there's more climbing, but awesome that they made up."

Brick tags Chris's jaw and gives a silent thumbs-up to Mike and Zoey before heading back.

Dawn is halfway up the slope when her engine sputters. Her kart begins to fall backward, smoke rising from the back. She leaps out and watches her kart roll back to the start, resignation sobering her features. Jo drives past her and calls back, "Sorry about your kart, that really sucks."

"It's just what fate intended it to be," Dawn sighs. She walks to Mount Chrismore, where Cameron has done his tag.

"What happened to your kart, Dawn?" he asks, walking to meet her.

"It broke."

The color drains from his face. "Oh no..." He looks back at Jo nearing Chris's face.

Mike and Zoey approach the two. "Dawn, you didn't tag the landmark," Zoey says, her voice slow and unsure.

"It's over," Dawn murmurs.

"What?" Zoey turns around to Mount Chrismore as Jo sprays its eye to make it look like a black eye. She pumps her arm and cackles.

Chef and Chris drive up to the scene in Chris's RV. The latter rises and takes faltering steps toward Mount Chrismore, his jaw hanging below his neck. "What... have... you... done... to... my... beautiful... monument?"

The contestants give each other puzzled glances. "It was the last landmark," Mike says.

"NO IT WASN'T! WHERE'D YOU GET_ THAT_ IDEA?" Chris shrieks.

Chef steps up to him. "Me."

"_What_?"

"Me, Chris," he snaps. "You have been even more insufferable than ever lately. You didn't think I was gonna fight back when you took my darlings for this stupid challenge? Think again! This is what you get for messing with my stuff, and don't say you didn't earn it, 'cause you totally earned it. And don't you ever forget it."

Chris's mouth flaps up and down like a fish. "But- but- was this really necessary?"

"To pop your inflated ego, yes!"

Chris stares at his vandalized face, stone-silent. Chef and the contestants watch him, the latter starting to fidget after a long pause. His lips part in a slit. "I'm sorry, Chef."

He faces Chef. "I've been completely ignoring your interests for my own. You, my best friend for so long. My face deserves the paint."

A smile crawls onto Chef's features.

Chris turns to the contestants. "I will be counting the last landmark, although it wasn't official. That means that Mike won, and Dawn lost. Dawn, come to the Hurl of Shame after sundown for your elimination." He and Chef walk away.

"Oh, Dawn..." Zoey wraps her arms around the shorter girl's shoulders, squeezing them. "I'll miss you."

She pats Zoey on the back. "I'll miss you too. But we'll see each other soon, whether at Playa de Losers or the finale."

Zoey breaks away. "We need to do something before you go. Maybe another walk?"

"Nah, I think we've seen enough today. Unless you want to collect some souvenirs at the beach..."

Her expression sparks like a lightbulb. "Of course! I love collecting stuff!"

The sides of Dawn's mouth shoot up. "Then it's settled."

Cameron puts a fist on his throat and clears it. "I- uh-"

"You're sorry the challenge didn't go in my favor today?" Dawn says. "Don't be. There are many more opportunities. For instance, I can finally begin my plan very soon."

Zoey and Cameron blink a few times. "Plan, you say?"

"Indeed. Could I borrow your notepad for a time? I promise to return it."

"Sure, it's in my cabin. I'll give it to you when we switch to one cabin for the merge."

* * *

Back at the former-Mutant Maggots' cabin, Brick, Cameron, and Mike are on their beds. Brick ties his boots, Cameron lies down, and Mike sits cross-legged. "Well, this isn't any different, is it?" Mike says lightheartedly.

"Yeah, just that the ladies switched over," Brick says to his boot.

_Knock knock_. The guys look at the door. "Right on cue," Brick says. "Come in!"

Jo opens the door and strides in. "I need to see Cameron for a sec."

Cameron remains lying down, exchanging a glance with Mike over his covers. "Um, what for?" Mike says.

She shoots him a weighted look. "Hey, you have your business, and I have mine."

"You keep asking about mine anyway," he says under his breath.

Cameron sits up. "Actually, I'd like to know now too. Why does it have to be so secret?"

"It doesn't, but I only need to tell you in case if you refuse," Jo says with more force.

He is still for a few seconds. "Fine." He follows Jo outside to the porch. "What?"

"I've noticed you've been struggling with the physical part of the challenges, and I want to help."

"I think everybody's noticed that by now."

"Just hear me out, Smart-Aleck. I know what you need to become fit: a trainer. I know exactly what kinds of exercises you need to do, since I have a lot of experience. Let me instruct you, and you'll see an improvement in your performance for sure."

Cameron's expression softens at her words, but it soon grows sharp once more. "Is this your disguised form of an alliance?"

A sigh breezes out of her. "No. Look, I'm sorry I made fun of you before. This is how I want to make it up to you. Is that what you want to hear?"

His eyebrows rise to his forehead. "It- it is, actually. I accept your offer."

Her expression clears, looking refreshed. "Good. We'll start tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But I'm going to be really sore from climbing for a while."

"Tough luck. The sooner we start, the better. You're in a competition, remember?" Jo turns and walks away to the girls' side of the cabin.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"Yeah, I'm still convinced I just agreed to an underground alliance with Jo," Cameron says. "I'm not sure what to do with my own alliance, since Dawn's out. Technically I don't have one anymore, unless I have Mike join. Maybe I could ask Zoey too, but I don't really know her. Then again, I don't really know Jo either." He rests his chin in his hands. "Decisions, decisions."

* * *

The sun has become red behind the distant woods, the sky transitioning from orange to yellow around it. Zoey and Dawn walk up to the cabin with garbage bags over their shoulders, their feet sandy.

Brick comes out the guys' door and meets them at the steps. "Dawn, mind if I take a turn speaking to you before you go?"

Zoey looks at Dawn. "Should I leave?"

"Yes." Dawn sits down, and Zoey retreats to the girls' bedroom. "Take a seat, Brick. I see you have a lot on your mind."

He sits next to her. "I- I do. I'm not sure if you remember this, but on that walk- well, actually, you probably do remember-"

"I told you your actions stemmed from the identity you created out of military school."

"Exactly, thank you."

"No problem. Have you thought about what I said?"

"Yes, I see the truth in it now." Brick looks at his knees. "I'm weak. There's no denying it. Yesterday, I got left alone in the dark, and my fear of it came to the surface when I thought I had suppressed it. I panicked. I feel like the kid I used to be- scrawny, incapable, and unable to hold his own bladder." He laughs. "Sorry if that's too much information, but this new 'identity' you speak of is the only thing I have. It's tougher, braver, and more generous than my own self. Am I really wrong to hold onto it?"

Dawn's eyes are calm and still like water. "That's for you to decide. Are you happy with your facade?"

His face flinches, and he curls further toward his knees. "No, but I'm not happy with myself either."

"You should be. You are stronger than your identity in that you can carry such a heavy burden of violence and insults. You are also braver than you think. That time when you distracted the mutant gophers from your teammates was not your code speaking, it was your own heart. And while generosity is a good thing, you have to take care of yourself as well. Being kind is better than constantly bending your back for other people, and that is your biggest trait of all. But to be happy with these virtues, you need to accept your flaws first. No one can make that step but yourself."

Brick raises himself and meets her eyes. "Well, if everything you're saying is really true, then I _should_ be myself. But what are the best times to help people? I keep overstepping. I can't tell if some of my past actions came from me, or my disguise."

"I personally think people need help when they're about to get hurt or can't do something on their own, but follow your gut," she says. "I receive visions when the people around me are about to experience trouble or injury, and try to act on them. But the keys to being yourself are to do what comes naturally, and not beat yourself up when you make a mistake. Your true self, flaws and all, is always better than a fake."

He stands up, smiling. "You know, you're wiser than any old person I've met. I can't thank you enough."

Dawn rises to her full height, up to his chin. "A lot of what I say comes from my mom, so you can give her most of the credit."

"Do you struggle with anything right now?"

She looks sideways. "... A few memories, yes."

"Maybe you should try to help yourself too."

"Maybe I should."

"You can always talk to me. I'm not exactly the counselor-type, but I'm a good listener."

Dawn gives him a generous curve of a smile. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Dawn is curled into the catapult with Zoey, Cameron, Mike, and Brick standing beside her. "Do you mind if I say a few quick things to everyone?" she asks Chris.

He taps his chin briefly. "Eh, why not. I'm in a kinder mood today."

"Zoey." She scoops up Zoey's hand. "I know what you're thinking, that this is once more the pattern you described in your life. It's not. You have gained my friendship and Mike's, and that is all."

"Mike. I wish I could've helped you with your problem, but you did a fine job of handling it yourself. Stay strong in your resolve."

Mike chuckles. "I figured you knew. Thanks, Dawn."

"Brick. We already spoke most of what needed to be said, but don't be afraid to be yourself."

Brick gives a jerk of his head, his expression resolute. "I'll try."

"Cameron." Her head tilts, gaze intensifying. "You were the first person on this island to appreciate what most call 'weird' about me. Sometimes you believed in me more than I believed in myself. Thank you for that."

Cameron gives her a warm smile. "You're welcome, Dawn."

"Watch your skepticism, it may interfere with your relationships with others here. Everyone here is trustworthy- and yes, that includes Jo." She turns her head to Chris. "I'm ready."

He presses his remote, and the catapult flings Dawn into the sky. Reaching the other end of the lake, her fall is stopped by a silhouette of a dolphin that carries her to shore.** [4]**

The camera view focuses in on Chris. "And that's the conclusion of our merge episode! Who will be launched next? Find out next episode, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

NOTE: I'm sure some of you are sad that Dawn's gone, and I am too. She was a real pleasure to write, and I was tempted to let her stay longer. Thing is, I never imagined Dawn getting too far into the merge. Though she had the potential, I felt that the plots of the other characters weren't quite finished compared to hers. But not to worry- she will show up at the finale, as well as play a special part at the end of the last episode.

New poll! It asks who you want to win this season, if you're interested. The rankings are already set, but I would like to see which characters are popular so I can be sure to keep writing them the way I am right now. Not that I'll really change whoever's less popular, but I might try to give them plots that give more appeal to their character.

Oh yes, and also, feel free to give criticism on this story. This being my first TD season fanfic, it's a bit of an experiment to see what works and what doesn't to make my future stories better. Criticism is just as appreciated as praise here, and advice on how to improve this story is even better.

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- This is the symbol for a private, the lowest-ranking member of the military.

**[2]**\- Yeah, kinda forgot to include the tree landmark, which is why I had Chef change it to Mount Chrismore.

**[3]**\- If you pictured Mal's hair here, that's exactly what I was aiming for.

**[4]**\- This is a much better ending for Dawn than her getting launched in a trash bag, if I say so myself.


	19. Eat, Puke and Be Wary (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Last chapter, this story reached two milestones! It became at least 100,000 words, and it now has 30 followers.

I would like to take this space to thank all of my readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers. I couldn't have made it this far without your support; you guys have motivated me, given me encouragement and helpful advice, and read all the way to this point. I could not ask for anything better. I can only hope that I give you guys the best writing I can give throughout the rest of this story, as well as end it with a satisfying conclusion. Thank you for sticking with me this far and supporting me. :-)

A special mention to Foreseer44, the first person to review every single one of my chapters. That's just amazing, period. Your words, both kind and critical (in a good way), have helped me immensely. And the fact that you're willing to read through this whole project before beta-reading... I repeat my second sentence in this paragraph. Thanks to infinity.

* * *

**CONTESTANTS**

REMAINING: Zoey, Jo, Mike, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam, Anne Maria, Scott, Dawn

**RECAP**

Chris and Chef stand in front of two interns as they wipe off the Hurl of Shame, their faces the very picture of misery. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: the newly-merged players went on a smash 'n' grab graffiti race. Some proved to be more adept drivers than others. Some were total flops, heheh. Oh, but wait! Before the racing even began, Brick totally pwned Chef, haha!"

A growl rumbles out of Chef's throat, and he backhands Chris in the face. Chris stumbles backward into the water, then comes up, sputtering. "_Dude!_ Don't get my hair wet during a recap!"

"Psht, my bad." The interns hide their smiles behind their hands and giggle quietly.

He pulls himself halfway up on the dock. "Where was I? Oh yeah. Brick taught Cameron how to climb tall objects, Dawn's kart broke down at a crucial moment, and Mike finally told Zoey about his multiple personalities. Happy reunion and all that jazz. Mike won, and Dawn was launched into the night, but not without speaking to just about everyone first. We're down to our five final competitors, people! And you'll never guess who's next to ride the Hurl of Shame." He signals Chef, who then launches the female intern through the sky.

"_AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaah!_" she screams, and her voice fades into silence.

"Heheh, told ya!" The male intern drops his cloth and walks away. "What? Catapults are expensive. I need to get my money's worth. But someone else will be flung before the day is over. Find out who! Right here, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**CONTESTANTS' CABIN**

With the sun still low in the sky, Brick sits on the steps while staring ahead. The door to the female bedroom opens, and he turns around. "You ready?"

Jo scoffs and walks up to him as he stands up. "Um, why did I come out here?"

"You need to do your stretches first."

"Already did them inside."

"Is that why you were taking longer?"

"Nah, I was trimming my hair with my razor."

"Uh... you didn't have scissors?"

"Hey, you asked, Brickhouse." Jo starts jogging to the woods, and Brick follows her.

They pass under the shadows of the trees, sunlight hitting them on the path. Their expressions fall into serenity, seemingly lulled by the rhythmic synchronization of their feet hitting the ground. When Brick speaks, his voice is subdued like the nature around them. "I'm a little worried about you, Jo. Mike told me that you haven't changed your past attitude toward him. You_ are_ trying to be nicer to him and Cameron, right?"

Her eyes flash and pierce him. "What? Of course I am! I'm finally getting somewhere with Cameron. In case you're wondering, the time I pulled him out of our cabin was to install him in a training program, which we're starting today. But Mike just snaps at me every time I try to be nice to him. If he told you I haven't changed, I might as well just call it quits."

Brick turns his gaze ahead, face impassive. His mouth opens. "I have faith in you, Jo. If you got through to Cameron, you can get through to Mike. How have you been nice to him specifically?"

"Okay, so there have been a few times where I slipped up. But besides that, I've been more civil towards him. I've asked what's wrong whenever he mopes, which is a lot."

"I don't know about your slip-ups, but your last point might have come off as nosy."

Jo stops. "Hold up. Are you saying that my showing concern for Mike could be interpreted as_ nosiness_?"

Brick slows down ahead of her. "It depends on how you show it. Asking him flat-out seems pretty blunt, especially since you hardly know each other."

She crosses her arms. "Well, excuse me for not knowing the proper way to act nice. It's not like I have a regimen for that. I'm more interested in voting him off, to be honest."

He swivels around. "You know why it's important to make peace with Mike? Because you've changed. You've become a better person. Maybe you're not done changing yet, but there is clearly good in you. The evidence? You're friendly toward me, and working to be friendlier toward Cameron. Mike shouldn't be left with a stale impression."

"My past actions are stale?" she says in an artificial hurt voice.

His expression bursts into a new urgency. "No- I-I mean-"

"Lighten up," she chuckles. "Or at least learn to tell a joke."

A smirk sparks a glimpse of light in his eyes. "Yours are pretty hard to notice. Are you gonna take my advice?"

Jo starts jogging again, and he joins in. "Of course. Why wouldn't I listen to the advice of my counselor?"

"You're joking again, aren't you."

"No, seriously, you sounded like a counselor back there. Philosophical and everything."

"I talked to Dawn before she left, that's most likely why."

She snorts. "What, she's a philosopher?"

He pauses. "No, just insightful." They turn a corner into full sunlight. "Speaking of which, why didn't you come to her elimination yesterday? The rest of us went."

"Maybe I don't know her as well as all of you then. She's a stranger to me."

"I recommend seeing her if you have any problems. She helped me out with my... identity crisis."

She knits her eyebrows. "Identity crisis? Do you still feel like your scrawny kid self or something?"

His eyes shine white for a second. "Right on target there."

"Eh, it was just a guess." She slows down and turns around. "I have to get back early to train Cameron. Feel like running?"

Brick grows a full-bodied grin in a heartbeat. "Running's no problem." They turn around, look at each other, then break into a sprint like a flash of fireworks. Brick stays ahead of her just enough to put their bodies out of alignment, and both pump their arms at rapid-fire speed.

Inside the males' bedroom, Cameron and Mike sit cross-legged across from each other on Mike's bed. The latter looks as though he would like to be anywhere but here. "What do you mean, how do I treat them? I can't exactly do anything except talk to them in my head."

"You know what I mean, Mike," Cameron sighs. "You don't have to answer if you feel uncomfortable, but it would be helpful."

"This whole thing is uncomfortable. My personalities and I aren't going to get along just like that."

"If you don't face this problem head-on, it'll only bite you in the butt later. Consider it as another step toward coping with your disorder."

His eyes grow smaller and keener. "And myself," he murmurs.

"Huh?"

"My personalities are part of me. You're right, I need to face them."

Cameron smiles. "That's more like it. Now, I'm asking this to all of your personalities: what do you think of Mike?"

Mike holds the sides of his head and looks up, as though listening to something. "Just saying, one of them won't be able to answer. He's locked up."

His eyebrows draw up and together. "How? Is he one of the alters that was in my notepad?"

"No, his name's Mal." Mike's eyes flit down. "We're just terrible people- I mean, he's just a terrible person. Anyway, Chester is busy ranting about how I never take advice from him. Manitoba's calling me bitter, Vito's calling me annoying, and Svetlana's saying how rude I am."

"You're like a big dysfunctional family, huh."

"Exactly."

"Why do they think that way about you?"

"... They're all saying the same thing. Supposedly, I'm always blaming them for my problems."

"Tell them that if they fill in your lost memories after you faint, you'll have less to blame them for."

Mike shakes his head. "Do you think this is weird too, or is it just me?"

"Well, I've never talked to anyone's personalities before, so it is pretty new."

"They want me to apologize in return, and take responsibility for my own-" Mike drops his hands and streams out a breath. "Okay. I know I hold myself back, a lot. I've been working on that. It's not like I can do anything about school though."

"Think more about what you just said," Cameron says. "Trust me, your personalities know stuff about yourself that you don't. Hasn't there been anyone who tried to acquaint themselves with you?"

He scans the nearest wall up and down. "Yeah, but I couldn't tell if it was real."

"There's a chance it was. You just chose not to take that chance."

"So, you're saying that school isn't a hopeless situation after all? I just think of it that way?" Cameron twitches his lips and nods. "Meaning that I'm partly to blame for my lack of a social life. Wow. Maybe I owe an apology to my personalities after all."

"I'm glad you've been enlightened," Cameron says with a light tone and a chuckle.

Mike curls his lips to the side. "You miss Dawn?"

"Maybe." His fingers knit together and fold. "Which means yes."

_Creak._ They turn to the door, which pours sunlight into the room. Jo's frame is nearly black against it. "Sorry to break up the two-person club meeting, but Cameron needs to start training."

"He just climbed a gigantic totem yesterday, and you're training him _now_?" Mike says.

"For your information, regular physical strain is the only way anyone gains muscle. You can tag along if you want."

"Not interested."

Her features tense into neutrality. "Suit yourself." She walks out, and Cameron follows after her with a wave to Mike.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

The side of Cameron's face is tilted onto his fist with a brooding expression. "Dang it. If Chris hadn't added that elimination twist for last challenge, Dawn would've stayed much longer. We could've made it to the final four with Mike and Zoey." He rolls his head upright. "I'm feeling her absence even more strongly than I thought I would. Her last words to me keep playing over and over again in my head. I'm not really skeptical, am I?"

* * *

Jo leads Cameron to the back of the cabin, where Brick is standing. "Brick's training me too?" Cameron asks.

"Indeed, soldier." He raises his arm toward his chest and flexes it. "I can teach you a few drills from my own cadet training."

"Okay, the first thing you always want to do is stretch," Jo says. She bends down and touches her toes, then rises up on them and reaches toward the sky. Brick watches her with keen eyes. "Don't stretch too much before exercise, just enough to get the major kinks out."

"You mean, release the tension in your joints?"

"Yeah yeah, just do it." Cameron follows her movements. They lock one arm inside the other and stretch it, then lift their legs behind themselves, then roll their heads on their necks. Jo drops to the ground without warning into a split and grabs her feet. "You don't have to do this part. Besides, I doubt you can."

"I can't."

Brick blinks repeatedly. "How are you doing that? Do you take gymnastics?"

Jo slides back up, her gaze narrowed like a hawk's. "I used to." As he opens his mouth, she turns back to Cameron. "You're ready to jog now. Reason why we're jogging is because strength can only go so far without endurance. In fact, endurance is a form of strength in itself, which is why we're gonna focus on it first. You build up both muscle and energy efficiency as you improve your stamina." She scratches her head. "Huh, I kinda sound like you. We'll be jogging for a mile- a manageable distance for even a mildly fit person."

"Do I count as mildly fit?" Cameron says.

"Mm, sort of." She points to the path in the woods and blows her whistle, producing an ear-splitting squeal. "Go!"

Cameron runs toward the trees. "Not so fast! I said 'jog', remember?" Jo yells, and he slows down. She and Brick follow close behind him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo leans against the side of the stall, arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, I was really into gymnastics when I was little. Believe it or not, I wanted to become an Olympic gymnast. But now I see that dream was stupid. I mean, why did I ever want to parade around in a skimpy leotard? At least in track, lacrosse, and basketball, you wear actual clothes." Her eyes wander to the other side and squint. "That way, people can only judge you on your skills, not your appearance."

* * *

In the main lodge, Mike and Zoey sit together at one table with their trays of something resembling gray porridge. Zoey looks around. "Where is everyone?"

Mike opens his mouth at the same time as the door. Cameron staggers into the room, his visage half-dead. Mike leaps from the table and holds his shoulders, steadying him as they walk. At the table, he collapses in a seat next to Zoey.

Mike sits on Cameron's other side. "What_ happened_ to you?"

"Jo... jog... mile... food..." Cameron's head drops with a clatter.

"Poor wimp couldn't even handle a mile," Jo says, walking in with Brick. "He was practically walking half the time."

"Well, nobody's that great on their first try." Brick approaches Chef's window, which is empty save three trays. He peeks through to see Sam stirring a pot large enough to hold a baby. "Sam! How come you're here instead of Chef?"

Sam turns around. "Oh, hi Brick. Thanks for not scaring me this time, heh. Chef's planning to surprise you guys, that's all I can say."

Brick scans his left and right. "Um, great, I guess."

"Er, not so great. Trust me. By the way, I have an update on Dakota: we're officially in a relationship now, but she had to leave."

"Congratulations! Sorry about the last part though. You must miss her."

Sam gives the pot a few stirs. "Yeah, I do. But at least she's back at home, where she's happy." He faces Brick with a discreet smile. "And I got a kiss before she went."

A grin flowers on Brick's face. "On the lips?" He nods. "You are quite the charmer, my friend."

Sam bobs his torso in a bow. "I try, I try."

"Ahem." Brick turns around to Jo, tapping her foot.

"Oh, sorry Jo." He sidesteps and runs his hand down his neck.

She takes two of the trays. "I didn't know you guys were friends."

"We got along before I had the Rats vote me off to become an intern," Sam says.

Jo wrinkles her nose. "Why on Earth would you trade a million dollars for an intern job? Especially here in this dump." She turns and starts walking away. "On second thought, I don't want to know."

Brick takes the bowl off the last tray and starts eating while watching her back. "Is there a girl that _you_ have your eye on at camp?" Sam asks.

He faces Sam, eyes focusing on his dwindling porridge. "Not particularly."

A space of silence follows, and Sam's face brightens like a new dawn. "You like Jo." Brick stuffs his mouth with porridge nonstop, his concentration unbroken. "How are you enjoying that? It's Chef's food."

His bowl now empty, Brick gulps and smiles welcomingly as ever. "You're the second person who's asked me that." He hands Sam the bowl and turns. "See you later."

Sam flaps his eyelids as Brick strides off. "Bye, I guess."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

"I got to see Dakota off, and _man_, does she have a killer 'copter!" Sam says. "It was way more awesome than the ones in Call of Order. I was getting some pretty hostile vibes from her dad though. He probably wasn't expecting Dakota to hook up with someone, especially not- well, me."

* * *

A loudspeaker in a corner of the ceiling crackles, and everyone stares up. "_LISTEN UP, MAGGOTS!_" They jump nearly a foot in their seats. "CHRIS TODAY IS... ABSENT. THEREFORE, I WILL BE TAKING HIS PLACE FOR THE CHALLENGE, GOT THAT? IT'S A CHALLENGE I MADE MYSELF, AND IT WILL BE TORTUROUS, TREACHEROUS, TERRIFYING... GET OUTSIDE _NOW!_"

They trip over each other running to the door, and halt at the steps. At the bottom stands Chef with his beefy arms crossed. "Well, what are ya scumbags waiting for? Follow me to your doom. Hehehe!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"I'm not interested in dying today. I'm really not."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I am eighty-five percent convinced that Chef is a psychopath."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Where the heck is Chris?"

* * *

The contestants are in the middle of a clearing, each standing behind a counter with a sink, an oven, and a stove holding a pan. On the side of each counter lies a pot, and salt and pepper shakers. Mike takes a step back, trembling all over; sweat drips down his temples.

Chef walks in front of them, hands clasped behind his back. "Listen up, dirtbags! I'm gonna push you till you break. Then I'll take the little broken bits, and _give 'em another good breakin'_! No wimps are gonna make it to_ my_ finale. Do you understand?" The contestants jerk their heads "yes". "First challenge: the cook-off!"

Jo stretches out a loud, wobbly yawn. "Cooking, yawn."

He shoves a finger near her face. "Shut it, or I'll shut it! Bring in the TD classic competitors." Owen wheels in a blindfolded DJ on a dolly, his limbs constricted by a thick layer of rope. Courtney walks beside them with an apprehensiveness to her gaze.

Cameron points at DJ, his eyes alight. "Hey! It's DJ!"

"And Miss CIT," Jo says.

Courtney locks her gaze on her and chills it to frost. "I don't know who you are, but I don't appreciate mockery." Jo twists her lips to the side, half-sneering, half-smiling.

The ropes and the blindfold are taken off DJ, and he gasps. "No... NOT HERE! I VOWED NEVER TO BE BACK AS LONG AS THERE WAS BREATH IN MY LUNGS!"

Chef waves a pile of papers in front of his eyes. "Your contract is greased, Dough Boy. You slimebuckets are gonna cook somethin' tasty. And this bag of mush and Miss Prim here will be the judges. You've got twenty minutes to make a tasty lunch with whatever you find on the island." He lifts up a finger. "I believe in eating locally."

He takes notice of Mike's shaking and marches up to him. "What'cha sweatin' and shakin' for, sissy? You afraid of cookin'?"

"N-no."

"What are ya afraid of then?" Chef knocks on his counter. "This wood? The sink? Water? The oven? Burning yourself?" Mike shakes his head while staring at the ground. "Well, _what is it then?_"

Zoey clears her throat quietly. "Chef-"

"No speaking unless I tell you!" She gulps. Chef picks up Mike's pan and holds it toward his own chest. "Look, I ain't gonna start this challenge until you tell me. Don't want everyone else having an advantage, a'ight?"

Mike stumbles away from him. "_What_ is it, boy?" Chef sighs. He looks down at the pan, and his eyes go round. "Wait a second, this? You're scared of this pan?"

Mike wipes his forehead with the back of his hand, nodding behind it. The other campers wear the same expression as Chef: surprise with a side note of disbelief.

"Toss it then!" Chef throws it across the clearing. "And get cooking!"

Cameron raises his hand. "Excuse me, before we start, what are our options in the way of seasonings?"

"I said, get cooking!" He slams two pans together in Cameron's face with a **_CLANG! _**Cameron yelps and flinches away, and the other contestants clamor to set up their kitchenware.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

Mike puts one hand on the back of his head. "Yeah... I should probably explain my fear to you guys, since they're probably gonna air my suppressed freak-out on television. In fact, I wonder just how crazy I seem to you all, heheh." He adjusts himself on the seat. "So, I used to black out whenever I saw a pan as a child. That was the only trigger for any of my personalities that I knew, and it was Mal's. He used to mock me about it all the time. My psychologist doesn't tell me too much about my childhood, but he gives me bits and pieces occasionally. And... well, he told me that my mind links pans to past pain. Ironically, Mal used to pop out whenever I had to face my fear, but now I'm always afraid he'll reappear when I see a pan."

* * *

Cameron walks up to DJ and Courtney. "Would you two mind telling me what your favorite foods are? Also, do you have any allergies?"

"Hm, not that I know of," DJ says "Considerate of you to ask that though. I personally_ love_ my mama's-"

"Wait a second, are you allowed to ask us questions?" Courtney turns to Owen and jerks a thumb at Cameron. "Is he allowed to ask us questions?"

"Chef didn't tell us not to say anything," DJ says. "My mama makes a killer chickpea roti. It's filled with spice and everything nice, know what I'm sayin'?"

Cameron taps his chin. "I can manage that, or at least something similar."

"Sushi is my favorite food," Courtney says. "I highly doubt Chef gave you seaweed and rice though. Stir-fry is fine."

"That's manageable too. Alright, thanks guys!" Cameron rushes toward the woods.

Zoey is the only one still at her station, looking sideways at a measuring cup holding water.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I figured that I better make something safe," Zoey says. "There was everything I needed for my grandma's sugar cookie recipe, except the eggs. But those will be easy to find anyway, since it's spring. I'll feel bad taking from a mother bird's nest, but that's what you do when you really need a million dollars..."

* * *

Jo climbs up a tree as Brick bends over near a bush, collecting wild strawberries that are scarcely larger than a thumbnail. "What are you planning to do with those, Brick?" Jo shouts.

"Make a trail mix. Can you tell me if you see a squirrel's nest up there?"

"I'm climbing _because_ there's a nest up here. I'll have to see if it's a bird's or a squirrel's. You're not actually doing any cooking?"

"I would if I really knew my flora, or had enough time to trap an animal. I'd rather not risk poisoning Courtney or DJ."

"Ha, that's why I'm doing eggs. Have you heard of a poisonous egg before?"

"Don't think so, nope."

"Me neither. Hopefully mutated birds don't lay them." She climbs onto a branch and makes her way up to a nest wedged between a branch and the tree trunk. "Hey, will you look at that!"

"What'd you find?"

"Some small eggs, and a lot of nuts. Oh, there's some berries too." She grabs them up and stuffs them in her sweatshirt pocket, then descends the tree quickly. "If one of those laser-shooting squirrels decides to show up, it'd be just my luck."

Brick's eyes open wider. "You had an encounter with them too?"

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty." Just then, a hairless squirrel rounds the trunk and comes face-to-face with Jo. "Wow. What do ya know. I'm not even sur-"

**_ZAP!_** "ACK!" The lasers miss her by a hair as she releases the tree and plummets. Brick drops his berries and races below her, holding his arms out. Jo crashes directly on top of him instead, and they fall to the ground with an "OOF!"

Jo rolls off him like he were on fire, bracing herself on her arms and knees. "Thanks for the save."

"Urk- no problem," Brick groans out without moving. "Thanks for getting the nuts and berries for me."

She smirks. "It's just nuts and berries, soldier. Don't get all sentimental."

He raises himself on his elbows, wincing. "Still, it was nice of you."

"You've done a lot more for me, whether you know it or not." She gives him a look as serious as a sermon before picking up the strawberries he dropped. "It's the least I can do." Brick watches her with one part of his unibrow perked up.

As Zoey leaves her mixing bowl and heads toward the woods, Mike runs out with a bouquet of flowers, roots, leaves, and stems in his grasp.

"Mike! Are you okay? I didn't know you, um, had a fear of pans," Zoey says.

He sighs. "It's complicated. I'll tell you later."

"If you say so." They pass by each other.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Without a pan and any skill at baking whatsoever, my only choice left is to make soup," Mike says. "Manitoba's been telling all sorts of stories about how he survived in the wild only on plants, which actually proved to be quite helpful for once."

* * *

Cameron holds a similar bouquet to Mike's, mainly consisting of dandelions, wild onions, and thin stalks of asparagus. He stops at a cluster of white mushrooms and stoops down, inspecting them from all angles. "No warts or scales... no umbrella-shaped cap... no ring around the stem..." He digs one up and eyes the bottom. "No volva. I hope I'm right about this being non-toxic." Proceeding to dig the rest of them up, he adds them to his collection and moves on.

Jo and Brick soon return to the clearing, and the former cracks her eggs in her pan as the latter shells his nuts. Steam rises from Mike's pot as he stirs it with one hand, adding spices with the other. Cameron arrives a few minutes after and starts chopping his gatherings with heavy-handed precision.

In the middle of their cooking, Zoey runs into the clearing with two robin eggs in each hand. "Ten minutes left, slackers!" Chef yells. The contestants start working faster. Mike tastes his soup and puckers, then cuts up more asparagus and adds it in. Jo adds salt, pepper, and parsley to her now-scrambled eggs. Brick toasts his nuts in his oven. Zoey pours her finished batter in circular shapes throughout a tray and slides it in the oven, cranking up the knob.

By the time Chef yells, "One minute!", everyone but Zoey has made bowls and dishes of their entree. She drums her fingers on the counter while nibbling her bottom lip, and the rest watch with either curiosity or concern. Briefly after, she throws on an oven mitt and retrieves her cookies, pale gold with speckles of cinnamon. A fresh-baked sugary smell floats through the air, and the contestants' eyelids flutter.

"Three, two, one. Time's up!" The contestants stare at Chef. "Well, dish it up, cupcakes! Move, move!" They scurry to line up in front of DJ and Courtney. "Each judge will taste all of your entrees and decide which one is the best. Simple as that."

"What if they like two different ones the most?" Zoey says.

"Then I'll taste their choices and decide myself! Scrawny kid goes first."

Cameron steps forward and hands his two dishes to Courtney and DJ. "This is a stir-fry consisting of wild onions and asparagus, dandelion heads, and a lot of other plants. I didn't have enough time to make roti, but I did make it spicy."

Courtney points her fork down at her plate. "You did wash the plants first, right?"

"Yup."

"Just checking." She pokes a dandelion head and peers at it.

DJ finishes swallowing. "Not bad! The texture is a bit weird, but the taste is good."

Courtney eats several different plants before speaking. "You did what you could with the dandelions. They add some nice color to the meal, and they don't taste bad either. The asparagus, on the other hand, could use some work. The mushrooms are a tad hard. Overall though, it's fine."

"Next!" Chef says.

The judges give Cameron their plates, and Brick puts new ones in their hands. "This is just a simple trail mix. I'm really not a cook, so..."

DJ chews a white seed. "Trail mix tastes like trail mix. Points for adding salt to make it less bland though."

Courtney bites into a strawberry- and cringes. "Ugh, that's sour. Does this even count as lunch?"

"Eh, I ain't being too strict on the term 'lunch'," Chef says. "Next!"

Jo gives the judges her scrambled eggs. "Self-explanatory."

Courtney eats a large chunk of egg, then takes another. "Mm, I like this. I'm guessing you used paprika?"

"And parsley, salt, and pepper."

"I agree, nice job on the spices," DJ says. "The eggs are a bit runny for my liking though."

"Next!"

"Not my fault you don't like them that way," Jo mutters as she walks away.

Mike distributes his soup to the judges, consisting of earthy-colored bits swimming in a clear broth. "I call this 'Nature's Broth'. It was a bit of an experiment, and... yeah."

DJ sips it, then smacks his lips together. "No offense, dude, but it's pretty bland."

"None taken," he sighs.

"I'm mostly getting hints of onion, but that's it," Courtney says.

"Next!"

Zoey holds out her tray to Courtney and DJ. "Sorry, I didn't get to plate my cookies in time. I hope they're not undercooked."

They each take a cookie and bite it. Their faces morph into new expressions, as though rising from a pleasurable nap. "This is amazing!" Courtney says while chewing, then covers her mouth.

"Mm... so buttery..." DJ finishes the rest of his cookie. "Can I have another?"

"Sure!" She passes the tray on to him, and Courtney reaches across and grabs another cookie with her free hand. "Have as much as you want."

"Who do you think is the winner, taste-testers?" Chef says.

DJ and Courtney point their bitten cookies at Zoey. "Her."

"Then that ends it! Zoey wins the first part of the challenge."

Zoey shoots a fist in the air. "Whoo hoo!"

"What the- cookies don't count as lunch!" Jo snaps.

"Psht, and scrambled eggs only count as breakfast." Chef turns to the camera. "What do I have in store next for these poor little suckers? I guarantee that it will be much more painful." He chuckles deep in his throat. "Find out when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

NOTE: The first parts of challenges usually aren't as action-filled as the second parts, but I hope this was entertaining enough. So far on my poll, Zoey and Cameron are tied for first. I'm a little surprised, but eh, maybe I shouldn't be after all. Thanks to all who have participated!


	20. Eat, Puke and Be Wary (Part 2)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Wow, lots more voters on my poll! Brick is now in the lead with four votes, Cameron has three, Zoey has two, Jo has one, and Mike has squat. *strokes chin* Very interesting descending order. Well, that's all I have to say here, except that you all are in for a somewhat random beginning to this chapter (that came out of the convoluted logic I call my imagination).

* * *

**PLAYA DES LOSERS [1]**

RESIDENTS: Staci, B, Lightning, Anne Maria, Scott, Dawn

The camera view centers on a resort by Lake Wawanakwa. A dock decorated by lounge chairs spans from the lake up to a three-story building that resembles a beach house. It rests on a rock that is dotted with palm trees.

Inside, the eliminated contestants of the season are scattered about. B and Scott sit in adjacent lounge chairs, holding up a blueprint and a newspaper respectively. They take turns stealing rancorous glances at each other when one of them is not looking. Lightning races by himself in the pool, swimming freestyle at breakneck speed from one end to the other. Dawn and Anne Maria sip pink lemonade in the hot tub. Staci reclines with the sharks at the spa, wearing a bathrobe and a mud mask, as well as cucumber slices on her eyes.

The camera zooms out from Staci to reveal Chris on the end of the row of chairs, enjoying the spa as well. His arms are tucked behind his head. An intern comes by with a glass of lemonade and puts the straw from it in Chris's mouth, and he sips. "_Ahhhh._ This is the life."

His cellphone rings. He raises his head, and the cucumber slices fall off his face. He takes his cellphone out and puts it to his ear. "Hello? Kinda in the middle of relaxation here."

A man's yelling comes from the other side, and Chris bobs his head over and over. "Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Well, sir, I haven't had a vacation in ages! I see nothing wrong with letting Chef take charge for a day... Yes, yes, I know I shouldn't leave the show while it's running, but can you blame me? _Maybe_ you guys should give me more vacation time so that leisure emergencies like this don't happen." After a few seconds, he huffs and stands up. "Fine, I'll get back to the island. Just let me question a few losers here so I can get something out of my vacay."

He stuffs his cellphone in his pocket and walks to Anne Maria and Dawn. They look up. "Mind if I ask you girls a question or two? Sure you don't. Anne Maria, this one's for you. Why did you cry after Dawn chose Zoey over you to ride canoes in one of the episodes?"

Anne Maria's jaw drops. "You seriously expect me to answer that? I didn't cry ova anythin' on your dumb show, that'd be ridiculous."

Lines are drawn between Dawn's eyebrows, and her eyes are shadowed. "I can tell that you're lying, Anne Maria. Please, how did I hurt you enough to make you cry?"

"Hmph! Maybe I'd tell ya if this sadist wasn't standin' right next to me."

"I'm leaving," Chris says, walking out of view, but not before signaling the cameraman to train the camera on them.

Anne Maria watches him go before turning back to Dawn. "So, first of all, I didn't even cry that much. I shed, like, one tear. And that was because I thought I was losing the last person on my side. I_ hated_ how everyone immediately fawned over Zoey when she switched. I didn't understand it! How could they all like her better than me, when I was a Rat memba the entire time? Was it her looks? Her personality?" She drops her hands into the water. "I still don't know."

"She does have a gregarious nature," Dawn says. "But what do you mean by 'sides'? No one on our team was against you."

"They were when it came to Zoey," Anne Maria says, her tone bitter as medicine. "Tell me, why did ya choose Zoey ova me for the canoe ride? Because you like her better?"

Her mouth falls open. "Anne Maria, no! I went with her because you were being so mean to her! She needed my support!"

"Oh, and I didn't? It's like you don't even know how inferior I felt, bein' pushed aside for the _new team memba_."

"The Rats' favoring of Zoey over you came from both your actions toward her and yourself. And those actions stemmed from your comparing yourself to her, which is destructive to you and to others." Dawn rests her hands on Anne Maria's shoulders. "I do remember how you felt. I also know it is insecurity that has built this mindset of yours. Break out of it, and you won't have any of these problems anymore."

"So you're sayin' everythin' is my fault?" She scoffs and climbs out, standing over Dawn. "If Zoey hadn't been switched ova, she would probably be in my place right now. She deserves whateva karma comes to her. But even if she doesn't make it to the finale, she'll have you and everyone else here comfortin' her." She turns and walks away with glassy eyes. "Figures."

Dawn closes her eyes while crinkling her forehead. "I can't help everyone in their time of need," she murmurs. "I'm sorry."

The camera view switches to Chris jogging next to the pool, alongside Lightning. "Hey Lightning! How do you feel about Scott staging your elimination?"

The jock stops swimming in the middle, his face contorted in a mask of rage. "He's lucky the Lightning's a nice person, or else he'd be buried in a hole as deep as China! I could've been in the final five right now! But you know what's even worse? I actually thought we were friends! Relationships are as important to me as winning is, and Scott twisted my trust for his own selfish gain." He punches his palm. "And if there's anything Lightning hates more than losing, it's people messing with him."

"Hm, should be good drama for next season," Chris murmurs, walking back to the spa area. Staci's face has been cleared of mud and cucumbers, but she still sits in her chair with her arms crossed tightly. "Staci, why aren't you blabbing about your family line to the other losers?"

"They don't want to hear me talk," she says in a small voice.

"That hasn't stopped you before."

"Yah, before I realized the others don't like me!" she shouts. "I thought lying would stop them from saying bad things about me, but apparently not!"

"Uh, okay. I'm just gonna- go now." Chris strides backward.

"Staci! Would you like to join me?" Dawn calls out.

Staci drops her arms, features lifting like a dream of hers has come true. "You really want to hang out with me?"

Dawn smiles. "I asked you, didn't I?"

Staci grins, takes off her robe to reveal a pink one-piece swimsuit, and joins Dawn in the hot tub.

* * *

Zoey, Mike, Cameron, Jo, and Brick stand on the edge of the woods, watching nervously as Chef approaches them with five metal collars, a gun that resembles a mini-cannon, and the grin of the institutionally insane.

"Well, fruitcakes," Chef says, "since Zoey won the challenge, she doesn't have to wear one of these tracking collars!" He thrusts a collar at each of the contestants besides Zoey. They click them on, and expressions of queasiness settles into their faces.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"Have you ever had metal around your neck before?" Mike says. "And not just a necklace- a freaking strip of cold metal. Yeah, I don't like it either." He tugs on his collar, and sparks fly throughout his body. "GAH!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHRIS

Chris reads from a piece of paper. "Total Drama is legally blameless for any sort of injury, accident, or death to the contestants through electrocution, even if administered by the show itself." His eyes blink wide, as though he is only just realizing something. "I'm not back yet. Shhh."

* * *

"Challenge Part Two!" Chef takes out and shows a GPS-like device with an antenna. "I give you: Dork-hunter." Five red spots pop up on the screen, each with a contestant's face on it. One larger than the rest also marks Chef's location. "The challenge is simple. You're the dorks, I'm the hunter. You run off into the woods, I hunt you down. First dork to the flagpole wins. Pray that you make it. Before the dork-hunter blasts ya into a whole new dimension of pain!"

He shows a can of spaghetti with his face on it to the camera. "Rocket-propelled spaghetti cannon. Featuring my own special recipe." He loads the can into his cannon. "Chef Hatchet's in-your-face extra spicy spaghetti. Dinner is served. IN YO FACE!"

The cannon fires a ball of spaghetti larger than the campers' faces toward the campers. They duck, and it slams a nearby intern into a rock. Steam rises up. "_Ah_, _ah_, it burns!"

The contestants' expressions grow even queasier. "You have twenty minutes to run, hide, and say your prayers. Now move out!" He shoots another spaghetti ball, and the teens collectively scream as they run into the woods.

Zoey runs behind Mike, who is three meters ahead of her. "Mike, wait up!"

He stops and turns around. "You wanna run with me?"

She gives him a meaningful look. "Yeah, I've been dying to ask you some stuff. About what you told me on Mount Chrismore."

His gaze flicks away for a second. "Oh, yeah. Figured you'd want to know more about that."

"It's not just that, Mike. Remember our time in the mine? I'd like to have more of those conversations." Catching up to him, she pokes the space between his neck and chest. "I want to get to know_ you_ better, not just your personalities."

A side of his lips quirks up. "That can be arranged. I don't want to spoil your reward by sticking around though. How about we talk at dinner? We could ask each other twenty questions or something."

"Sounds good." She flashes him a smile before leaving.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"We've been skirting around each other a bit since yesterday's events," Zoey says, tugging at one of her pigtails. "All of a sudden, I'm seeing him in a new light. It's difficult to understand how his characters aren't just for show, which is why I want to find out." She drums her fingers on her thigh. "Sure, Mike hurt me in the past. But if he's not in control of his multiple personalities, then it's really not his fault. I still like him, a lot. That's why I'm glad he's put the kiss behind us."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

The skin between Cameron's eyebrows pinches as he yanks at his collar. He jerks in his position, a hiss coming through. He takes a stick on his lap and pushes it under the collar, tensing up for the shock. When it does not come, his expression flashes into a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile.

* * *

Jo and Brick sprint on opposite sides of a path, weaving around the trees. Brick looks at her and chuckles. "How do we keep meeting like this?"

Jo shrugs. "Beats me. I'm just making sure I'm not the closest to Chef and his bizarre weapon."

"Same. We don't even know where this flag is."

"You didn't look at Chef's tracking device? It's straight ahead, in a clearing."

His unibrow forms two arcs. "Nice job! I was paying more attention to the instructions."

She swings off a tree and jumps ahead of him. "As a cadet, aren't you supposed to know your surroundings?"

"Well, I do know to stay in the trees so that I'm harder to spot and hit. But you're right, I should've known better."

Halting abruptly, Jo blows her bangs up and gazes at him full-force. "Okay, Brick, look. I didn't mean that. Why do you always take things so seriously? Should I stop joking with you?"

He slows to a stop, putting a hand behind his head. "I... I didn't mean to upset you, Jo."

"I'm not upset, I'm just slightly annoyed."

Brick stands straighter. "As a cadet, I also acknowledge my mistakes. Always. I know I'm not the best soldier by any means, but I always try to improve. So, if you're gonna joke about a mistake I made, I won't deny it."

Her eyebrows slant over her eyes. "Don't you think you're being a bit hard on yourself?"

"Not at all. I used to think that I could be the perfect soldier, I just wasn't trying hard enough. What a mistake that was."

They start sprinting again, with Jo rolling her eyes. "Well, yeah, no one's perfect and all that mumbo-jumbo. But come on. You're telling me that your sacrifice in the mine challenge, your victory over Chef in a fight, and a whole bunch of other stuff don't make you feel good about yourself?"

"Sure they do. I just don't let them get to my head."

"Psht. If I were you, I'd probably just brag my head off."

Brick smiles. "Looks like you've found your own style of complimenting, huh?"

She blinks a few times. "Yeah... yeah, I guess." **[2]**

Back in the clearing, Chef starts up an off-road vehicle with a single window in front and no doors. It chugs to life, its paint colored like sand and peeling off from age. "As if I'm gonna give 'em twenty whole minutes to run. Hehehehe!"

Cameron stoops by a stream, scanning the surrounding dirt embedded with rocks.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"If I can just find a big flat rock, I might be able to wedge it in between the ends of this collar to weaken the magnetic pull," Cameron says, making a slicing motion. "It requires a lot less force to separate magnets laterally than to directly pull on each side, and I'll be able to take my collar off once I unlock it. I'm almost certain that it's made of neodymium magnets, which I play a lot with at home. And since it's highly likely I'll be able to outrun Chef, I'm counting this as my best strategy."

* * *

Chef speeds on a path in the woods, examining his tracking device. "Looks like the little boy is up first. Why isn't he running?..."

Cameron grins as he picks up a smooth rock as large as his hand and flat as a pancake. He pushes it into the crevice where his collar connects, straining with a sound that resembles squealing more than grunting. The collar does not budge. Soon, he stops, fatigue settling into his face and shoulders.

He snatches up a jagged rock of similar size and puts the smooth rock back into the crevice, then brings the former down on the latter. "Hyah!" Banging one rock on another repeatedly, the smooth rock wedges itself into the collar bit by bit, until its middle is between the ends. Cameron drops the jagged rock and pulls his sleeves over his hands, then pries the collar to click open. Letting the smooth rock fall, he takes the collar off, reconnects it, and chucks it into the trees.

Cameron's icon teleports off the straight path on Chef's tracking device. "What the-" He jiggles it. "Is this thing broken?" His eyes squint at the screen. "None of the other kids changed... eh, must be laggy." With that, he leaves his car and heads in the direction of the stream.

Before he arrives, a glint of metal catches his eye. He trudges through shrubbery and bends down to pick up Cameron's collar. His jaw drops like a stone. "I've been duped!"

Mike has slowed to a relaxed jog, breathing fast as the ticking of a clock. He stops at a clearing with a cave and leans on his knees, taking a gulp of air. "Phew!... I need to run more often."

A car's rumbling comes faintly from behind him, and he jolts back up. "Chef already? How?" Head switching from side to side, his eyes land on the cave merely ten meters away. He races into it and huddles in the shadows, and Chef's car passes.

He peeks out of the cave, and the padding of paws comes behind him. A glimpse of brown grizzled fur gleams in the sunlight. "**_RUUUOWWWWRRRR!_**"

"AAAAAAAAH!" Mike screams in the highest note he can muster. Out of the cave in the blink of an eye, he zig-zags toward the path with a three-eyed grizzly bear behind him. It takes a few seconds at a time to turn, but stays within threatening distance.

Chef's car comes back in reverse, and he fires spaghetti at the bear. _SPLAT!_ "**_RRROOOWWR!_**" It stands and paws at its spaghetti-covered face, then turns and runs back to its cave, moaning all the while.

He shoots Mike in the stomach, who gets knocked back on the ground. "Oof!" Steam rises up from his shirt, and Mike yelps as he scrambles out of it. He gasps, and his expression molds into one of cool disinterest. His hand pats his hair. "Ey yo, what's with the troll hair all the time?" Vito saunters up to Chef. "Hey dawg, have some hair gel on ya?"

Chef does a slow shake of his head. "You are one weird kid." Seizing Vito's arm, he throws him and his shirt onto the seat of his car.

Zoey treks through the greenery, her not-so-stealthy steps producing rustling. Her eyes dart from left to right repeatedly, and she is bent over with her arms raised at her sides. A monarch butterfly flies by her face, and she jumps. "Whoa!... oh. Just a butterfly."

It soars a few yards in front of her and lands on a tree trunk. "How are you not mutated? Did you just migrate?" Zoey shakes her head and laughs briefly. "I sound like Dawn right now. She would've loved to see you."

The butterfly flies out of sight, and her smile fades.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"I'd be a bad friend if I didn't miss Dawn, but having her gone just like that is jarring!" Zoey says. "Now I'm just with Jo again in the girls' bedroom, and we really don't talk to each other that much." She lets out a sigh with hints of a yawn. "I miss having a girl friend to talk to... and a confidant... and just her company in general."

* * *

Jo and Brick slink forward at a pace between jogging and walking, not making a sound. Jo's eyelids slide down, and she stops, gazing at the path with the focus of a jaguar. "Wait a second... This path isn't going straight anymore. It's leading us nowhere."

Brick pauses. "_Wow_, am I thankful I'm with you."

"Our friendly neighborhood drill sergeant failed to give us compasses, so we're just gonna have to find the direction ourselves." **[3]**

"We can do that, but we should separate so that we're not a bigger target."

Jo quirks an eyebrow. "Didn't you just say that you're thankful you're with me?"

He stretches his arm behind his head. "Well, yeah, but-"

"You have a point. See you at the finish, Cadet." She heads west of the morning sun, and Brick breaks off in a similar direction. He continues steadily maneuvering the woods, placing his feet on the twig-covered ground with the precision only a person with stealth experience could have. His concentration sharpens into laser-focus, seeming ready to react at the slightest sound.

The sound of running feet approaches. Brick sprints away from it. "Brick?" Cameron says.

Brick falters. "Cameron?"

"That's me." Cameron walks up to him. "Have you seen Chef yet?"

"Nope, I actually thought you were him for a second." His eyes land on Cameron's neck. "Where's your collar?"

"I broke it off."

"Whoa. How'd you manage that?" Brick pauses. "Wait, aren't you against cheating?"

"Yes, but Chef never said we had to keep them on, did he? He assumed we wouldn't be able to. Anyway, mind if I jog with you for a bit?"

"I don't see why not." They jog, and Brick immediately draws ahead of Cameron; he slows to match his pace.

"So, I have been observing your actions, and I'm interested in learning about your way of life- not just as a cadet, but a person. I've noticed that you tend to act with a certain selfless quality."

"You know, I get that a lot," Brick replies. "And the thing is, my actions don't seem nearly as significant to me as they do to other people. I'm conscious of what I'm doing, but you just gotta do what you gotta do."

"I see... You don't feel happy when you help someone?"

"Of course I do! I mean, I wasn't as happy when I tried to do everything, but it always feels good to do the right thing."

"And how do you feel when you don't?"

"Terrible." He laughs as though startled by his own response. "Yup, that's basically how I feel. I had to help myself when I was younger, but I still don't want others to suffer. If I don't help someone in need, it's like I failed to achieve my goal."

Cameron cocks his head, eyes narrowing and focusing. "Would you say that your past drives your actions in the present then?"

"Well- yes." Brick's eyebrows curl toward the center of his forehead. "You know, these are some strange personal questions you're asking."

A rustling ensues in the bushes nearby. Brick and Cameron look at each other with alarm. Chef charges out of the bushes toward them, his cannon pointed.

"Sneak attack!" Cameron yelps, scrambling away. Brick breaks in the opposite direction, and Chef aims his weapon at Cameron.

Brick stops and waves his arms back and forth. "Hey Chef, over here!"

Cameron stumbles to a stop. "Brick, what are you doing?"

"Drawing Chef's fire!"

"_Why?_"

"Just go!" Cameron resumes running.

"I never turn down a challenge," Chef says, licking his lips. He fires a shot at Brick, who ducks. The spaghetti sizzles on a tree behind him. Chef shoots three balls in succession; Brick sidesteps the first, jumps away from the second, and takes cover behind a tree for the third. The cook comes toward it, cannon at the ready. "We both know you can't hide there forever, soldier."

"I know." Brick steps out. Chef fires at him, but he drops into a somersault and jumps up in front of Chef, striking the lower back of his gun hand. It flinches and drops the cannon, which Brick catches and points at his face. "Looks like I won Round Two."

"You speak too soon." Chef grabs the cannon and pushes it up, then bends for an uppercut to Brick's stomach. Brick beats him to the punch, delivering a sharp kick to his shin. He jolts and releases the cannon, features creasing in pain.

Brick backs away slowly, holding the weapon in front of him. "Sorry, I didn't want to do that."

The cook bends forward, hugging his shin with his hands. "Never apologize for war wounds unless they're to a friend. You're not allowed to take that with you either."

"Oh." He opens the cannon and takes out the ammo, then tosses it deep into the woods. The spaghetti falls out of the can along the way, creating a trail.

He drops the cannon and sprints off, and Chef goes to pick it up. He sighs, looking at its empty compartment. "Time for new ammo."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I see Brick as the main threat in the competition," Cameron says. "I mean, think about it. He's strong, fast, and athletic- a triple threat. He's also learned a lot of skills from cadet school, and is able to use them really well. Not to mention he's friends with everyone here, and he's just really nice. I hate to admit it, but Scott was onto something when he tried to eliminate all the strong players before the merge. I can only hope that my plan worked, and Brick won't have invincibility today so that I convince Mike and Zoey to vote him off."

He hunches over, dropping his chin in his hand. "But the plan was to get Brick_ and_ myself caught, not just him. It worked much better than I predicted, and frankly, I'm feeling guilty for plotting against him after he saved me from spaghetti."

* * *

Zoey has switched over to the path, where her footsteps make much less ruckus. Her gaze wanders to the treetops, and a breeze comes out of her mouth. "My advantage would be great if I knew where I was going."

_**VVRRRROOOOOM!**_ Chef comes toward her like a NASCAR driver. "ACK!" She leaps out of the way, but Chef stops near she was standing and shoots her in the foot before she can react.

Zoey shakes her foot in the air, spaghetti flying around her. "Ow! Hothothot!"

"Tch. You should've stayed in the bushes, girl," Chef says.

"You haven't seen my 'stealth'-walking. Were you really trying to run me over?"

He smiles like he is enjoying a good memory. "Nah, I was tryin' a new ambush tactic. Those are my favorite kind of attack. Sniping or announcing my presence ain't my style." He jerks a thumb at his vehicle. "Anyway, you're coming with me."

She sees Vito leaning back with his hands behind his head, legs crossed on top of the window. She smiles as though holding no disappointment over being caught and, stepping inside, sits on the end beside him. "Hi Mike."

"Psht, you got the wrong guy, redhead chick," Vito says, slicing the air sideways. "I'm the one and only Vito! Shouldn't ya know that by now?"

"Wait a second, I met you before!"

He throws his hands in the air. "Finally, she gets it! After, like, the _fourth time_."

"Um, I'm pretty sure we only talked once until now."

"Eh, I don't linga on the technologies."

One of Zoey's eyebrows dips. "Don't you mean-"

"Clear some space, ignoramuses!" Chef barks next to the car, his hands on his hips. The teens hastily scoot toward the end, and Chef jumps into the driver's seat, leaving no visible space.

"How are you gonna fit anyone else in here?" Zoey says.

"That's for you all to figure out, heheh."

"Hold up! Are ya gonna apologize for nearly pullin' my arm outta its sock?" Vito snaps.

"Ugh, seriously?" Chef mutters. "Geez, these teenagers just get dumber and dumber."

Vito gets up and raises his fists. "You startin' a fight, big guy?"

"I miss smart Mike," Zoey sighs.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: VITO (The Guido)

Vito has his legs bent against the wall, the rest of his body flat on the toilet platform. "This is that confessional thingy, right? Eh, doesn't matta. Compared to most chicks I've seen so far, Redhead Chick is smokin' hot. I'd claim her for myself if Mike and her weren't practically a thing. He'd get to spend way more time with her than I would! Darn Mike, always gettin' the goods."

* * *

Jo treads across a clearing that stretches as far as the eye can see, merging into yet another patch of woods. "Good grief, how far _is_ this dumb flag? I better be ahead of the others."

Panting comes from behind her, and she turns around to see a jogging Brick. He stops next to her and leans on his knees, heaving up and down. "Whew! Hi Jo."

"Hi Brick," she says with just a tinge of dullness.

"You wouldn't believe what just happened to me! I somehow managed to disarm _Chef_. And when he tried to disarm _me_, I disabled him, and since I wasn't allowed to take the gun, I threw the ammo away and-"

"Ran away until you came here," Jo says. "You're actually surprised you beat Chef? You did it before, remember? Plus, I'm pretty sure he's not in his prime anymore."

"Yeah, but he's an actual war veteran! How am I doing this?"

"Need I repeat that he's _old_? He probably hasn't been in a war for years. His rusty joints need oiling."

Brick stares at his hands, seemingly disconnected from Jo's voice. "Maybe you were right before. Maybe I do underestimate myself."

She smirks and slaps him on the back, making him stumble as she jogs past. "Just don't get ahead of yourself, private."

He rubs the spot where she hit him and chuckles, then runs after her.

While driving, Chef studies his tracking device. Jo's and Brick's icon move close to the flag, while Cameron's icon is still near the stream. "That scrawny kid can't be ahead of the other maggots. I'll just drive ahead and see if I can find him."

Vito is examining his nails. "Fine with me, bro. Just drive smoother, will ya?"

"I don't answer to you, kid." Chef tears along the path until a rustling ensues in one of the trees. He skids to a screeching stop; Zoey and Vito cling to each other, then let go the moment the car stops. Stepping out of it, Chef marches up the tree with his cannon and looks up. There, crouched on a branch, is Cameron.

His eyes go huge as a spaghetti ball hurtles toward him. It lands on his face with a _SPLAT!_, attaching itself like a second head. "AHH! I can't see!" He topples off the tree and sails to the ground, landing with a harsh thump that makes Chef, Zoey, and Vito wince. "Ohhh..."

Chef picks him off the ground, lifting him by his shirt to the car. He drops him on the floor and continues driving, and Vito and Zoey stare at Cameron as he lies motionless. "Uh, Earth to Cameron?" Zoey says.

Vito snickers. "More like Cameron to Earth."

She shoots him the evil eye. "Want my spot, Cameron?"

"No thanks," he moans. "I won't be moving from this spot for a while."

Brick and Jo reach the end of the trees, entering a field with a flag a mere hundred meters away. They gasp and stop at the same time, looking at each other. A competitive glint hardens their gazes, and they explode into a race on foot.

Jo pulls ahead of Brick inch by inch, her eyes locked on the prize. She holds a meter lead by the time they close in on the flag. Brick throws his whole body into a dive, and the camera slows down to show him flying horizontally toward the flag, with both arms reaching out. Jo's mouth slowly gapes as he passes her. She pushes off on her right foot and makes a smaller dive; their hands close around the pole at the same time, with Jo's at the top and Brick's at the bottom. The former stays on her feet, while the other lies on the ground.

Brick springs to his feet, jeans covered in grass stains. "Who won?"

Jo smirks. "I did."

"Really? I thought I won."

"I don't think so. I was ahead of you, remember?"

"Yeah, until I dived at the end."

"But then I dived too, which regained my lead."

"No it didn't! I saw with my own eyes, you were-"

"Well, I saw with my own eyes too! I was ahead of y-"

"You were not!"

Jo's and Brick's words dissolve into an incomprehensible racket, and Chef drives over to the scene. He steps out and points his gun at them. "Shut your traps! What are ya, parrots?" They fall silent, and he lowers his gun. "Since you two tied for first, we're gonna have a tiebreaker to settle this."

"Why don't we just check the photo-finish?" Jo says.

"Nah, we don't do that here. Protocol."

"I agree with Jo," Brick says. "There's a first for everything."

"Ah, fine. I don't have a tiebreaker set up anyway. INTERN!" A male intern with scraggly black hair scrambles over, pulling a TV on a stand behind him. As he runs off, Chef clicks a remote, and the TV turns on to show a side view of Jo and Brick running toward the flag. Their fingers touch it simultaneously without the slightest hint of anyone leading. Chef scratches his chin. "Um... yeah. It's a dead tie."

"WHAT?" Jo and Brick shout.

"First time we do the photo-finish, and this happens. No wonder Chris never wanted to do it. Well, I guess I'm gonna have to come up with a gruesome tiebreaker." He taps his chin a few times, and his eyes round out. A grin seeps into his face, bearing a striking resemblance to the Joker's. Jo and Brick exchange expressions of fear for their own safety.

* * *

They stand behind a wooden counter, each with a open can of Chef's spaghetti in front of them. Jo turns a weak shade of green as she stares at the muddy brown contents, and Brick averts his eyes from them altogether.

Chef hands each of them a spoon, wearing a grin of pure evil pleasure. "One for you, and one for you. Whoever finishes first_ and_ keeps their food down wins! Hope you like lots of spice. Hehehe! Now get eatin'!"

Jo and Brick shovel the spaghetti into their mouths. "Go Brick!" Zoey shouts.

"Go Jo!" Cameron says.

Zoey turns to him with curved-down eyebrows. "Really? Jo?"

"I have my reasons."

"Must be really good ones."

"Trust me, they are."

Jo's and Brick's faces have turned beet red, with sweat pouring down them. Jo drops her spoon and clutches at her throat, entering a coughing fit. Brick pumps his eating arm like an overworking machine, and he scrapes metal. Dropping his spoon in the empty can, he raises two fists in the air before toppling sideways onto the ground.

"And Brick is the winner!" Chef says. Frowning at Jo's sounds of choking, he slaps her back, sending her to the ground. A piece of habanero pepper falls out of her mouth. "Oops, guess I didn't blend well enough."

* * *

It is sunset, and the pink radiating from the sun tinges the fluffy clouds and blends into blue sky. Golden light washes over the main lodge, broken only by the electric light pouring out of the windows.** [4]**

All of the contestants fit on one side of a table, with room to spare. Cameron sits on one end, next to Mike and Zoey, and Jo sits on the other side with Brick. They all have plates of Chef's spaghetti in front of them, which no one touches.

"You can go first if you want," Mike says to Zoey, as Jo and Brick chat.

"Alright." She lays a finger on her chin. "Um... I guess I'll just start with basic questions. What's your favorite color?"** [5]**

He pulls on his shirt and smirks. "Blue. Yours?"

Zoey copies his motion. "Red."

They chuckle. "What do you like to do for fun?" Mike says.

"Let's see- painting, drawing, crafts, sewing, watching films, collecting, and cooking," Zoey says, counting on her fingers.

"Wow, that's a lot! What kind of stuff do you collect?"

"Aren't I supposed to ask _you_ a question next?" she says, lips teasing at the ends.

"You just did." She forms a pouty frown, and Mike spouts a laugh. "I'm joking. Go ahead."

"Okay, what's your favorite food?"

"Hm..." Mike stares sideways on the table, eyelids lowered as though to hide his eyes from her. "I don't know. I can't even think of what I like. My condition makes me forget things sometimes."

"Hey." Zoey puts her hand over his on the bench. "It's not important. I know your next question, so I'll answer it. I collect state quarters- I have an aunt in the U.S. who sends them to me. I have a lot of beads too, and bigger stuff like glasses and snowglobes."

"You wear glasses?"

"I don't need them, but yeah."

Mike breaks into a grin. "You should've brought a pair. I can see you in square glasses."

"I have those, actually. By the way, your last question counted."

"It did? Well, that's well-earned karma. Your turn."

As Zoey opens her mouth, Cameron comes from behind them. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have to ask you two something."

"What is it?" Mike says.

He glances at Jo and Brick, who sit diagonal to the others. "I wanted to know if you'll join an alliance with me. Dawn and I wanted to form one with you guys before she- you know."

Zoey arches her eyebrows, her eyes attentive. "You and Dawn?"

He puts a hand behind his head. "Well, yes, we made an alliance a long time ago." Both Zoey's and Mike's eyebrows go up. "Point is, are you interested?"

"Of course, Cam," Mike says. "But who you do want to vote off?"

Cameron clasps his hands together. "It's more a matter of who I _don't_ want to vote off. I know you're probably thinking of voting for Jo, but I'm asking you not to."

Mike and Zoey glance at each other. "Is this because she's training you?" Mike says.

"Wait, she's doing what?" Zoey says.

"That's right," Cameron sighs. "I know it's not the best strategy, but I need to become stronger. I want to be able to _help myself_ when I'm in trouble."

"You don't have to if friends are there. I'm here for you," Mike says.

"Yeah, but you can't be there all the time. What if I last longer than you? Who's going to help me then?"

Silence fills the space between the group. Zoey sucks in her lower lip, an apology in her eyes. "There aren't any other choices besides Jo."

"Yeah, sorry Cam," Mike says. "I'm not voting for anyone except Jo right now, but I'll help you in any other way I can."

Cameron steps back with an expression too controlled to be one of calmness, but is wiped carefully blank. "I understand. I'm putting you both in too difficult a circumstance here. I shouldn't have said anything." He walks to the door. "I'm going back to our cabin."

They watch the door shut behind him. Mike combs a hand through his hair. "I know he's upset... I wish there was something I could do."

"We aren't voting for each other, and you're obviously not gonna vote for Cameron. Jo's the strongest competitor we can vote for."

Jo picks at her spaghetti with her fork, flicking her gaze between it and Mike. "I think Cameron was trying to make an alliance with Mike and Zoey," she whispers to Brick.

"Why would he do that?" he asks.

"To vote one of us off, of course. I don't think he succeeded though."

A moment of quiet passes. "You wanted to vote off Mike, right? I'll vote with you if you have a friendly conversation with him right now."

Jo's eyebrows shoot up. "Wow. Did not see that coming, especially from you."

"What can I say? I want you two to get along."

A smirk slides onto her lips. "And then you'll vote for him after. Is that logic, or what?"

"I call it, Establishing Good Relationships While Still Playing the Game."

"Too long. Just call it strategy and leave it at that." She stands up and walks over to Mike and Zoey, sitting across from them. "Mind if I break in for a minute? I have to ask Mike some things."

He creases his forehead. "Like what?"

"About what you told me here yesterday, before you walked out."

Zoey gives him a questioning look. "Zoey knows about my MPD. You can ask me in front of her." He gazes back at her. "She needs to know."

"If you say so. Alright, first of all, what the heck_ is_ MPD? Does it have something to do with your impressions?"

"Those aren't impressions- those are my different personalities. I can't control them, or sometimes when they come out."

Jo winces. "That doesn't sound too good."

"It's not. I black out when I switch to an alter, and I don't remember what he or she did."

"Wait, there's a '_she_' in you?"

"Svetlana. She's a Russian Olympic gymnast." His gaze grows detached for a second, as if focusing on listening to something. "You've met her before."

"Yeah, I think I remember. She was pretty annoying. Honestly, your disorder sounds surreal to me. Where do your personalities even come from?"

Mike shrugs. "I would say my memories, but my therapist says it's much more complicated than that."

She stands up, still holding an echo of a wince in her expression. "Well, thanks for answering my questions. Hopefully your disorder gets better."

He watches her walk back to her spot next to Brick. "Thanks."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

She rests her chin on her hand. "Okay, I officially feel guilty for my rudeness to him now."

* * *

Mike turns to Zoey, his expression a mixture of solemnity and sweat. "Before we get interrupted again, I have something important to ask you." He glances at the door. "Um, can we take this outside?"

"That'd probably be best." They walk out of the mess hall, with Mike holding the door open for Zoey. He sits with her on the steps. "So, what is it?" she says.

He rubs his hands together and wipes them on his jeans. "Well, remember when I told you to meet me outside the cabins two days ago?" He face-palms. "Of course you do, that was two days ago."

Zoey giggles. "Just go on."

"I meant to tell you about my disorder then, but there was something else too. You see-" Mike picks up Zoey's hands, and she stares at him with wide eyes. "I really like you. I have for a long time now. I didn't think you liked me back, so I kept it to myself, but then you kissed me in the mine. And I have to know, was that real? Did you feel something like I did, and do you feel something now? Or was it just a spur of the moment?"

She ducks her head, looking at him through her eyelashes. "I was afraid this would happen. The truth is, I like you too. I enjoyed the kiss. I can't deny our connection. But you don't know the truth about me, and please don't make me say it out loud. You don't want me as your girlfriend."

Mike gives her hands a squeeze, lowering his own head to look into her eyes. "You're the girl of my dreams, Zoey. I can take whatever truth you throw at me, whether it's that you have extra toes, or a tail, or a million warts on your back."

A weak smile curls Zoey's lips. "I don't have any of those."

"You accepted me with my MPD. If I don't accept for who you are, I'll be the worst hypocrite in the world. And I won't be that."

"I hope not. When I give you my explanation, just remember you asked for it." Zoey folds her hands in her lap and takes a deep breath. "You shouldn't be with me because... I'm a loser. I have zero friends at school. I wear my grandma's clothes." She gestures to her outfit. "These clothes I'm wearing right now- I bought them specifically for Total Drama because I wanted to give off a good image to the viewers and the other contestants. But they don't change me inside. They don't change anything. I wasted my grandma's precious money on them. The jocks, cheerleaders, and everyone else back home still see me as the lone, quiet weirdo." Her eyes swell up with tears, and she wipes at them. "They avoid touching me, like I have a contagious disease. You haven't seen me in school, Mike. I become the biggest loser I know. I don't talk to anyone, I eat by myself in the library, and I always go to the nurse and stay there when my classmates play any throwing games in gym because I_ know_ I'm gonna be a ball target."

She clenches her arms over her stomach and leans over, shaking. Channels of tears form tracks down her flushed face. Mike wraps an arm around her shoulders in a half-embrace, wiping away her tears with his fingers. "Mike, do you know why I accepted you so easily? Because I know what it's like to be the odd one out, though I don't have a condition that makes me that way. I don't have an excuse." She does a wet sniff and curls into him. "Total Drama has been like a safe haven for me compared to school. I found someone who seems to accept everyone, no matter what: Dawn. And I also found you."

"I'm sorry all of this is happening to you," Mike murmurs. "We're more alike than I thought. I'm a loser at school too, and I hate that disease thing you mentioned. But I've been working on my self-esteem, and I think you should too. I know it's hard, but learning to accept your differences from other people will make you feel better about yourself, trust me. And maybe in time, you won't care what other people think about you, because you'll have enough confidence and support from those who love you. You already found friends here, didn't you?" He holds her face in both of his hands, a tender softness to his gaze. "And if it helps any, I think you're beautiful, inside and out."

Eyes locked on each other, Mike and Zoey bring their faces in at an intimate distance. They close their eyes and fit their lips together, soaking in each other and the silence.

* * *

At the campfire pit, all of the contestants sit in the front row. "Let's get this over with quickly," Chef says behind the podium. He picks up the tray of marshmallows.

"Brick, you're safe, obviously." He tosses a marshmallow to Brick.

"Cameron."

"Out of the three of you that all got votes, Zoey only got one, so she's safe." Zoey catches her marshmallow and shares a smile with Mike.

"One of you is going home tonight," Chef says, pointing at Jo and Mike. A light sheen covers Jo's forehead, and Mike looks on with a neutral expression. "And the loser is... neither of you, yet."

They straighten up and watch as Chef dumps the toxic marshmallow from its box onto the tray, and covers it and the last normal marshmallow with plastic cups. "You see, both of ya tied, which means I gotta do this tiebreaker. I'm gonna switch these cups around until you're well-darn confused, and then each of you will pick one. Whoever gets the marshmallow of loserdom is eliminated, and so and so. Got it?"

Mike and Jo nod. Chef lays the tray on the podium and rearranges the cups, turning them into a blur. Both campers blink hard, uncertainty clouding over their features. His hands stop, and he beckons them to come over.

At the podium, Jo points to the cup on her right as Mike points to the left one. "This one."

Chef lifts the cups to reveal the normal marshmallow as Jo's choice. She picks it up and pops it into her mouth, walking back to her seat. Mike stares at his glowing marshmallow with a grimace. "Do I have to eat that?"

"Not unless you_ want_ to die. To the Hurl of Shame, Stick Boy!"

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Mike's legs dangle out of the catapult, and he wiggles around to fit inside comfortably. Out of all the contestants, Zoey approaches him first. She hits her left foot against her right, staring at him with eyes weighted like stones. "I wish we got to spend more time together. Hopefully we'll see each other again soon. Thanks- for everything."

Mike plants a kiss on her forehead, and her eyes clear up. "No, thank you." He rummages in his pocket and pulls out a gold necklace with a pendant engraved with his face. "I have something for you to remember me by."

Zoey leans in closer to look at it. "Oh, it's beautiful! Are you sure it's not important to you?"

"It's the first thing my adoptive parents gave to me, after a handshake. But I want you to keep it. Whether we stay in touch or not, I hope we'll always keep each other in memory."

She wraps her arms around his neck. They lean towards each other in a hug, their heads side-by-side. "I hope so too."

As they release each other, Cameron comes up to him. "I'm not mad at you, Mike, just so you know."

"Whew, that's good. I'm betting on you to make it to the finale, so good luck."

"Thanks. Sorry you have to go. You're a good competitor and friend."

Brick walks over and shakes Mike's hand. "It was nice meeting you, soldier."

He chuckles. "You too, Brick."

Jo approaches with hesitant steps. "I just wanted to say sorry for my cold behavior toward you before. It was uncalled for."

His eyebrows rise into his forehead. "Thanks for the apology. Sorry for the times I snapped at you."

"Don't worry about it. I got what I deserved."

"You about done yet?" Chef says, stretching out his fingers. "I've been waitin' to be the Hurl Master of this game."

"And you're gonna keep waiting." Chris descends in front of him in gloves, a helmet, and most importantly, a jetpack.

"_Chris?_" Chef, Mike, Zoey, Cameron, Jo, and Brick yelp.

"Yup! I'm the Hurl Master around here!" He pulls out his red-button remote. "Sayonara, Mike!"

_Wham!_ "AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaah!" In the middle of the sky, Mike gasps and curls into a somersault position, spinning through the air. "Time for ze Svetlana dive!" Svetlana cuts vertically into the water and disappears.

Chris faces the camera. "Well, that's another person gone! Or should I say five? Stick around for more pain, drama, and other forms of entertainment, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

NOTE: I was seriously tempted to make Mike go farther, but as some of you guessed, his plot was just about over, and it was time for him to go. He has evolved into a very complex character in my mind, and his feelings about having MPD were really fun to explore. I hope he came off as realistic and likable as I wanted him to be, and he _will_ be back in the next season story I write... sort of. Feel free to ask any questions, I like answering them. :-)

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- I've been itching to write a Playa Des Losers episode, even though it'd be pretty short. So, here's a mini-episode.

**[2]**\- I'm on fire with these Jo and Brick conversations! For this episode, anyway.

**[3]**\- A spin on a certain line of Noah's in World Tour.

**[4]**\- Yes, I do write a lot of scenes in the main lodge. But seriously, that place wasn't used nearly to its full potential in ROTI canon.

**[5]**\- Does this remind you of a conversation in "The Big Sleep"?


	21. Up, Up and Away in My Pitiful Balloon

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

We've reached 10,000 views on this story! I remember when I was excited to see a few thousand views on this story. I _never_ imagined it would become this popular; thank you all for giving so much attention to my story. I may write because it's my main passion in life, but I also write for you guys. It uplifts my mood to see other people enjoying my writing, and I hope I continue to bring that enjoyment to you all. (And entertainment, of course.)

Again, I would like to give a special thank you to Foreseer44, who just started beta-reading for me. He helped me tweak this episode and iron out the kinks in it to make it better. You should check out his stories, he is an excellent writer!

Also, this is the first full episode, partly due to my lack of knowledge (and understanding) about technology, which prevents me from going into great detail for the building part of the challenge. After you read this chapter, I hope you will answer me this: would you prefer full episodes like this in the future, or should I go back to splitting the episodes?

* * *

**CONTESTANTS**

REMAINING: Zoey, Jo, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Dakota, Staci, B, Lightning, Sam, Anne Maria, Scott, Dawn, Mike

**RECAP**

On the Dock of Shame, Chris and Chef fly magenta kites. "Previously on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: Chef led the final five players in a nature-themed cook-off. Jo nearly killed Cameron with her prescribed training regime and had lots of bonding time with Brick. Zoey won the judges DJ and Courtney over with her sugar cookies, and so, didn't have to wear a tracking collar when Chef was chasing everyone through the woods. Cameron managed to take his collar off with just a few rocks. Fancy that! Chef saved Mike's butt from being mauled by a bear, then got one-upped by Brick _again_!" Chris cackles, and Chef bares his teeth at him. "Hilarious! In the end, Jo and Brick had a dead tie- see why I never check the slo-mo for challenges?"

"Oh, you know that's just because you're too lazy," Chef scoffs.

"Well, more like I just don't feel like it. Anyway, Chef fed them his special spaghetti for a tiebreaker, haha! Brick ended up winning, and then Cameron tried to get Mike and Zoey on his side to _not_ vote off Jo, but failed. Dude's been failing a lot in terms of strategy lately, huh? Maybe that'll change today. Mike asked Zoey out, which caused her to tell him the truth about her loser status. They kissed, sealing the deal of their relationship, then Mike got the boot thanks to Jo. Will Cameron succeed in his plan to get Brick eliminated? What crazy strategies will be flying about this time? And who's going to be cut loose before the final three?"

Chris pulls out a pair of scissors and cuts Chef's line, and his kite drifts out of sight. Chef chucks his spool at Chris's face, which he catches, and storms off. "Sheesh. Sometimes I think he needs anger management classes. Stick around for the thrills, drama, and crazy action, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**CONTESTANTS' CABIN**

Fluffy clouds decorate the sky on yet another bright morning, spaced-out like they are in a painting. Brick steps out the door to the males' bedroom and closes it quietly behind him. He leans next to the females' bedroom door and crosses his arms, staring at the sky.

_THUMP!_ Brick jumps and turns to his left to see Chef running at him. He gapes. "CHEF?"

The cook leaps in the air, throwing a foot straight at Brick's face. Brick closes his eyes and brings his hands up, catching Chef's foot. He tumbles backward and hits the porch, and Chef draws his leg back in. "I would say you shoulda been able to dodge, but I was just too fast that time."

Brick gets up on his elbows, wincing. "That, and I'm not at my quickest in the morning."

Chef extends a hand to Brick, who takes it; he picks him up to his feet. "Nah, that wouldn't have made a difference. I was just testin' to see how you'd react. You did pretty well!"

"I did? But I just fell, hard."

"That's to be expected, soldier. Even Daniel couldn't evade my attacks all the time." He grips Brick's wrist. "Now, you're comin' with me to my kitchen."

Brick's eyes pop open wider. "How come?"

Chef drags him down the stairs. "Because I said so. No more questions till we get there."

The camera view flashes to show Chef and Brick walking into the kitchen of the mess hall. Chef pulls two wooden chairs to the table in the center of the room and sits on one. He points at the chair on the other side, and Brick takes it.

Brick takes a deep breath. "Chef, if this is about an alliance, I'm not interested."

Chef snorts. "Boy, I learned my lesson twice. I ain't about to learn it again. No, we're here to talk about your personal pride."

His eyelids flutter. "My... pride? I try not be prideful, but if you've noticed oth-"

"What ya just said is your problem!" Chef braces his hands on the table and stands up, looming over Brick. "You lack confidence, soldier. You don't believe in yourself because you don't believe in your accomplishments. One day, you're gonna second-guess yourself when you shouldn't be thinking at all, and then you're gonna stab yourself in the back."

"I know." Chef's mouth drops, and Brick lowers his chin toward his neck. "People keep telling me I should have pride in myself. Dawn. Jo. You. The thing is, I know myself better than anyone else, and the past me isn't praise-worthy at all."

Chef sits back down, but he focuses on Brick with more intensity. "That's in the past, son. What matters now is your present and future."

Brick clenches his hands on the table, eyes flaring. "You don't understand! I was a complete waste of life when I was younger. All I did was let myself get beat up every day, absorb every insult, and even fail to act invisible! No one cared about me except my own parents, who _have_ to love you."

Chef reaches across and grabs one of his shoulders. "Calm down, Brick."

He shuts his eyes and breathes in, the space between his eyebrows wrinkling. "Sorry."

"No apologies," the cook says, letting go of him. "You had it rough as a child. I did too. The difference between us is that I learned to accept it and move on."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I do whatever the heck I want now- er, most of the time. The point is, you aren't that person you described anymore. You were a work in progress when you were little, and you're a work in progress now, but you're better. And that's all that matters."

Brick sinks down and clutches his stomach, an aching look in his eyes. "I'm still weak. I feel my weakness every day, imagined or not."

"The weakness goes away. But for that to happen, you need to accept that it's there."

The pain slips away slowly from Brick's features, like a passing rain cloud. He pushes himself from the table and wobbles to his feet. "Thank you for the talk."

Chef stands and watches him go to the exit. "Yeah yeah, don't mention it. I mean it. I only had this talk with ya because you're a special kid- the rest I'd just throw outta here."

Brick stops and turns around at the flapping gates. "Thank you for thinking highly of me, but I'm not sure I want to be a soldier. I'm... I'm thinking of pursuing fashion."

As he leaves, Chef's eyes bulge out of their sockets. "Fashion? What a waste of a fine soldier," he grumbles. "That's even worse than _cooking_."

Back at the cabin, Jo waits by the males' bedroom door while tapping her foot. She huffs, looks around one last time, and goes back inside the females' bedroom. Zoey sits on a bottom bed, holding up knitting needles with a mint green scarf attached. It trails and coils on her bed like a snake. She looks up. "'Morning, Jo."

Jo gives her a blank look before walking back and forth across the room.

"Did something happen?" Zoey asks.

She turns around. "I'm waiting to jog with Brick, and he's not showing up. Happy?"

Zoey opens her mouth, then shuts it. Jo paces across the room five more times before Zoey puts down her needles. "Look, Jo. I've dealt with your dislike of me before, as well as Anne Maria's. And truthfully, my patience is running out. Can you please tell me_ why_ you don't like me? What did I ever do to you?"

Jo walks to the door like she does not hear her. She pulls it open and stops, then turns her face toward Zoey. Her irises turn a subdued violet in the sunlight. "You didn't do anything except be yourself." Zoey's expression jerks as though Jo gave her a shock, still looking shaken as Jo shuts the door behind her.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

Zoey's hand digs into the top of her hair as she stares at the floor. "It's amazing how easily insults get to me. I wish they didn't. I have to keep reminding myself that Jo and I have contrasting personalities, and that maybe we just naturally don't get along."

* * *

The camera view switches to a scene in which Jo, Brick, Zoey, and Cameron all stare at the sky, standing in a shadow that stretches from cabin to cabin. "What _is_ that?" Zoey says.

"I believe it's a zeppelin, named after Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who-" An anchor drops down on Cameron's foot. "AH!"

The zeppelin follows the anchor to just above ground, and a ramp flips out. Chris and Chef appear in the opening. "You're wrong, it's the McLean Mobile Air Command Center!" Chris says. "Where I will recline in luxury while you compete in today's challenge: an aerial obstacle course!" He walks down the ramp with Chef. "And here to demonstrate, put your hands together for Total Drama classic contender, Heather!" **[1]**

She shows up at the exit, her hair back to the way it was in TDI: waist-length and tucked behind her ears. Lips screwed in a scowl, she scans the cast with eyes that deliver a healthy dose of judgment. All of the campers except Jo shrink away.

"Heather will now demonstrate the aerial challenge while wearing a jetpack," Chris says.

She whips toward him. "Excuse me, what? I read _nothing_ about riding a jetpack in my contract."

"Read the fine print more carefully next time, hon. Chef?"

Chef shoves a jetpack onto Heather's back and clicks a remote. The jetpack fires up, sending Heather flying through a series of flaming hoops in the sky. "WAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAYE! WHOAEEEEE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Just as she circles back toward the campground, the engine putters, sending up smoke. Her scream grows louder as she hurtles toward the ground, and the contestants watch as though their lives are flashing in front of their eyes.

"Everyone, just be cool," Chris says. "There's a parachute built into it." Heather hits the ground head-first, getting half of her body buried under. The contestants wince hard. A parachute mushrooms out of the jetpack and lays itself over Heather, who groans deeply.

"Um, this challenge seems pretty unsafe..." Zoey says. The other contestants nod.

A grin streaks across his face, and he raises his arms in the air. "No, it's totally unsafe! Best, challenge, ever! Now, to perform your aerial feats, you'll first have to construct your very own flying machines! And we have just the place to get your spare parts, heheh."

* * *

The contestants stand in a clearing among mountains of junk as far as the eye can see. The dump mostly sports large items rather than small ones: appliances, planks of wood, sofas covered in rips and stains, pipes sticking out every which way, chairs with broken legs, and other material misfits that all blend into one huge, clashing mess of color.

While wearing yellow rubber gloves, Chris holds up a slimy trash bag with flies surrounding it. "Welcome to your one-stop shop for flying machine parts: the dump! Revolting, and reasonably priced. Each player will pick a card representing their mode of flight. Pick 'em like your nose, losers!"

He opens the bag and turns his head away from the stench. Jo reaches inside first, mouth twisting as she feels around. "Did you pull this out of the dump?"

Chris grins. "How'd ya know?"

She pulls out a card with a hang glider image. "Huh. Doesn't sound impossible."

Zoey takes out a card next. "A plane. Cool!" Her arms fall to her sides. "And also,_ totally impossible to build_."

Cameron gets a picture of a hot air balloon. "Ooh, I made one of these for a science fair in grade school! This should be a cinch."

Brick acquires the last card. "A helicopter? I've always dreamed of riding one in the military, but I don't know about building one..."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

Brick's fingers are splayed across his face, which leans toward the ground. "Another challenge with hand-controlled transportation. Of course."

* * *

"First camper to show me their finished flying machine wins an advantage: a McLean-brand smoke machine!" Chris motions to the device in Chef's hand. "Use it as a smoke screen. Smoke bees out of your attic! Or just create spooky ambiance. Check it!" Chef shoots smoke at the campers, causing a collective coughing fit among them. "It also works if you wanna suffocate people temporarily, heheh. Okay, campers, prepare to get your dump on... now!"

The teens spread off to separate trash piles. Jo climbs up one and pulls on a piece of white cloth sticking out. It comes out as a blindfold, and she tosses it aside with a grimace. Zoey stands in a clearing and scans the area around her, scratching her head. Cameron scales a mountain one piece of furniture at a time, until he reaches the top. Pulling himself onto a buried refrigerator with much straining and grunting, he pulls on the frayed end of a rope nearby. Brick wades into the garbage and yanks out a wooden sled, throwing it away. He reaches in deeper and lifts up a pair of black gloves. With a shrug, he puts them on and continues digging.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Okay, I don't even know where to start for a plane," Zoey says. "Unless I find a plane engine somewhere, any model that I make is gonna be useless. And even if I find a plane engine, how am I supposed to tell that it_ is_ one?" She taps a finger to her chin. "I need a plane expert if I want any shot at winning."

* * *

As Cameron is still tugging on the piece of rope, Zoey climbs up behind him. "Hey Cameron, could I ask your advice on my plane?"

He turns around on the refrigerator, rubbing his red hands together. "Uh, sure, if you'll help me get this stubborn rope out."

"Sounds like a fair trade." Zoey crouches on the refrigerator and joins him in pulling on the rope. Their faces squinch as they shake with the effort to pull it out, and with a _whoosh_, the rope comes free with the rest of it flying upward. Zoey and Cameron fall backwards onto the trash, and the rope falls on top of them.

With a shared chuckle, they get on their feet, and Cameron wraps the rope into a coil as Zoey dusts the back of her body off. "Thanks, Zoey. Now, what I can help you with?"

"Do you know what a plane engine looks like? That's my main concern right now."

Cameron shields his eyes and gazes over the whole dump. He points at an orange propeller lying on the ground. "There are several types of plane engines, but I see a propeller you could use. If you're lucky, there'll be a piston engine attached. If not, let me know."

"Thanks!" She heads back down as Cameron fingers a beige parachute with a thoughtful expression.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I'm more concerned with the quality of my balloon than the speed in which I build it," Cameron says. "Besides, by helping Zoey win the advantage, I have a higher chance of securing her vote against Brick. Jo will be much harder though. I run a huge risk if she and Brick are in an alliance, but it's better to have the majority vote than to risk having either me or Zoey face off with one of them in a physical tiebreaker." A disturbance flickers behind his expression, like a pending storm. "It was pretty obvious they voted for Mike last night, because Zoey and I sure didn't."

* * *

Deep in a pile of trash, Jo pulls out a wad of dull blue tent fabric. She opens it, revealing it to be two halves of a hang glider with a broken wood frame. "Hm, this would be perfect if I had some tape." Her gaze sweeps her surroundings and lands on a sofa with patches made of duct tape, and a smile grows. **[2]**

Not too far away, Brick works away from the trash, inserting a metal pole through a hole in the handlebars of a bike. It has a wooden frame and rubber wheels that are patched-up. The green and red engine on the bike roars to life, spitting out smoke. Peeling tape off of a sofa, Jo looks toward the sound. "What the- when did you get here? What the heck did you do to that bike?"

Brick shrugs, taking the pole out. The engine stutters to a stop. "I didn't do anything except stick a pole through it. I think there used to be a button that activated its engine before it fell off."

Jo squints down at his bike. "You know, that bike slash motorcycle looks kinda familiar..." She shakes her head. "Never mind. Where were you this morning? I had to jog by myself and train Cameron without you."

He gently places the bike on the ground and looks toward the trash to his right. "Sorry, Jo. When I went outside, I literally got dragged by Chef into his kitchen."

Jo's eyebrows jump onto her forehead. "That's... weird. Why would he do that?"

Going to a mountain away from Jo, he climbs onto a chair and rips open a hole in the mess, peering inside. "He wanted to talk about personal pride."

She snorts. "Yours, or his?"

Brick turns toward her, the shutters closed in his expression. "Mine, alright? Please don't ask anymore."

The amused look in her eyes fades. She takes off the last bit of tape and stuffs it in her pocket, beginning her descent. "I'm not gonna push you to say anything, but if you ever feel the need to, do it. Seriously, I won't judge."

His face creases with a smile. "Thanks, Jo. If you need to talk about anything, I won't judge you either."

She forms a smirk that seems strangely isolated, like it does not belong to her. "I'm not the touchy-feely type, so that's not likely."

"Well, emotions aren't always predictable, right?" Brick says, yanking on something in the hole. "Sometimes they just sneak up on you."

Jo skids down the remainder of the junk and sits on a faded yellow sofa, starting to patch her hang glider together. "Haven't had any overwhelm me yet, and I don't plan on starting anytime soon."

"If you say so." Brick pulls a dented helicopter rotor halfway through the rubble before losing his grip and falling off his chair. "Oof!"

Jo looks up, sees him on the ground, and laughs. "Need my help, soldier?"

He moves his arms and winces. "That would be helpful."

At a point in which the sun is high in the sky, Cameron has fastened a parachute to a radioactive barrel that is topped with a burner, which has a metal plank extending from it. An end of a jump rope hangs from the plank. He does an Abraham Lincoln pose that consists of his chin resting against his thumb, turning back and forth, and he gasps at seeing the handle of a wheelchair. It being at the very top of the highest pile of junk, he groans painfully.** [3]**

Zoey hits her propeller with a chewed-up mallet on the front of a swan boat. It whirs to life, and she pumps a fist. "Yes! Now for wings." Her eyes wander to a pair of metal bat wings lying at the bottom of the trash, and a hand flies to her mouth. "Are those- Gwen's wings for her bicycle in TDI?"

She rushes over and scoops them up. "Sweet!" Looking deeper into the trash, she leans forward and pulls out a bike with training wheels attached. "DJ's bike? The wheels could be useful."

After Brick and Jo free the helicopter rotor, Brick shoves it through the hole on his bike. It revs up like a motorcycle, spinning the rotor to go _CHOP CHOP CHOP_, and rises into the air. He leaps and grabs onto a pedal, but the bike keeps ascending. "Uh oh."

As Chris and Chef are walking toward the campers, a shadow passes over them. "AAAAAAAH!" They look up to see Brick dangling one-handed in the sky.

Staring upward, Chris brings out his loudspeaker and speaks into it. "AND WE HAVE A WINNER! BRICK FINISHES FIRST AND GETS A SMOKE MACHINE! THAT IS, IF HE EVER MAKES IT DOWN." He swivels around and faces the camera. "Will Brick continue to keep up his challenge mojo, or will someone step up and take today's challenge? Will any of these air vehicles crash and burn? I'm betting at least one of them will. But find out for sure when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

The contestants stand near the entrance with their new contraptions. Brick sits on his helicopter bike, hands shaking a little as he holds both brakes, clothes soiled in brown like the dirt ground. The McLean-brand smoke machine hangs from one of the handlebars. Jo stands confidently next to her hang glider, which has a line of tape down the sail. Zoey stands in her swan plane with newly-attached wheels as well as a joystick, pedals, and a maze of other controls.

Cameron walks from his hot air balloon, now-equipped with a wheelchair that is tied to the radioactive barrel with rope. He approaches Zoey. "You remember how to use the controls, right?"

She nods. "Yup! Thanks for helping me build my plane, I really appreciate it."

"No problem." He glances at Jo and Brick before whispering in Zoey's ear. "I want to make sure that Brick doesn't win this challenge."

She draws away. "Huh? I mean, it's pretty obvious we all want to win, but why are you singling out Brick?"

"Because he's a threat in the competition. He's nice, athletic, and not to mention close to Jo. What chance do we have of beating _both_ of them if they stay together?"

Her eyelids slide down over her eyes, giving a keen look. "Hold on. Are you suggesting an alliance again?"

"Only if you're interested in one."

"Well..." She rubs her chin and looks over at Brick and Jo. "Sure, Cameron. I'll join you. Brick _did_ win the last challenge. Just try not to go all strategy-happy, that's what Scott did."

A fire ignites in his eyes, bright and slow-burning. "Trust me, I'm not like him. I have actual reasons for what I do."

Zoey sucks in her lips and looks away. "Scott had actual reasons too, but that didn't make his actions right."

"I'm not doing anything immoral like him," he says with more force. "I know what I'm doing." He walks away, a stiffness in his step.

Inside the flight deck of Chris's zeppelin, Chris and Chef watch the contestants from above. Heather turns her head in a circle behind them, gazing around the grey interior. "Lots of scheming going on, huh?" Chris says. "I feel another Gemmy coming on!" As he and Chef grin down at the scene, Heather looks behind her: the million-dollar prize of the season bulges out of a suitcase, next to crates filled with gold Gemmy statuettes of Chris. She walks over to it with a decisive clicking, her expression conveying wicked intentions. Grabbing the suitcase as well as one of the statuettes, she heads back to Chris and Chef.

Chris raises a loudspeaker to his lips. "PLAYERS! PREPARE TO BE CHALLENGED IN THE OBSTACLE COURSE OF DOOM!" He and Chef cackle together, and Heather raises the statuette over Chef.

_**BAM!**_ The cook falls like a tree, and Chris gasps as the statuette sweeps toward his face.

The camera cuts to a side view of the zeppelin outside, and Chef and Chris are kicked out. "_AAAAAAAAAH!_" The contestants quickly move themselves and their creations out of the way, and Chef and Chris land in the middle of the clearing with a concluding _THUMP_.

"Ohhh, I think I sprained my stubble," Chris moans.

Cameron points at the zeppelin moving through the clouds. "Um, Chris? Heather is stealing your mobile air command center!"

Chris closes his eyes, looking like he is sleeping. "Whatever. Got it at the air force garage sale."

"And my million dollars!" Jo yelps.

"Whatever. Not _my_ million dollars."

"And all your Gemmy awards!" Zoey says.

His eyes shoot open. "My _Gemmys?_" He leaps to his feet. "Cancel the obstacle course of doom! Your new challenge is:_ to_ _stop that zeppelin!_"

Heather appears at the zeppelin's entrance, wielding two Gemmy awards. "Don't try to stop me! I've got gold statuettes, and I am not afraid to use them!"

She throws them at the contestants, and Chris runs forward with his arms spread out. "I've got you, my preciouses!" Both statuettes nail him in the head, sending him to the ground. Chef rolls his eyes while standing with the contestants.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Heather's conniving," Jo says. "Mean. Deceitful. My kind of competitor! Okay, so she might have me beat in strategic smarts, but I'd enjoy beating her in challenges. I'd never fall for her manipulation tactics like everyone else seems to. But honestly, using the zeppelin as an escape vehicle was just stupid. If none of us catch her, the RCMP sure will."

* * *

Cameron ignites the burner on his balloon, and it rises up with him on it. Zoey's plane rolls through the dump, picking up speed, and curves into the air. Brick lets go of the brakes on his bike, and immediately the rotor starts up again, carrying him upward. Jo drags her hang glider toward a trash tower and sighs, positioning herself to climb. "This is what I get for picking the easiest thing to build."

Zoey takes the lead toward the zeppelin, with Cameron drifting behind Brick. A "v" of three-eyed geese honks at them as they pass by. "We need to aim for the inside!" Brick shouts. "Zoey, you can draw Heather's fire, since you're the fastest. I'll try to reason with her and possibly break inside if I have to. When Jo comes, she can join me and get Chris's statuettes to you, Cameron, so that you can throw them into the engines if Heather doesn't budge."

Cameron's forehead crinkles, then he draws his eyebrows in harsh lines. "Oh, and you conveniently left out that we'll let you win the challenge? I don't think so. I'm gonna attack the engines right now with my own scrap metal."

"What? That's not what I meant!" Brick stutters. "I thought we could tell Chris it was a team effort!"

Zoey's eyebrows slant upward. "Cameron..."

"No. You can do your own thing, and I'll do mine. We'll see who stops her." Cameron climbs into the sky above Zoey and Brick, toward the right side of the zeppelin. Brick looks after him, and his bike begins to fly toward the balloon. He quickly rights himself.

"It's not your fault, Brick," Zoey says in a soothing voice. "Cameron just sees you as a threat in the game, that's all."

Brick looks like she just told him Heather chose to surrender. "He does? He seemed pretty upset though."

She shrugs. "That part I don't know about."

Scratching his crew cut, he glances at Cameron again with lips pulled to the side. "I'll try to talk to him later, see what's up."

They close in on the zeppelin, at a level in which the clouds seem within arm's reach. Heather spots them and gasps. She dashes to the entrance with a Gemmy in each hand. "_You want a piece of me? Huh?_" She chucks them at the nearest person, Zoey, who shields herself with her arms. The statuettes land on both sides of her.

"Don't hurt her!" Brick hovers in front of Zoey. "We just want to talk."

"Protecting your dear girlfriend?" Heather sneers. "How sweet."

Both of them turn red. "I have a boyfriend!... And it's not him!" Zoey splutters.

"I like someone else!" Brick says, then clamps a hand over his mouth.

Zoey looks at him as he adopts a tomato hue. "You do?"

Heather quickly reaches inside a crate nearby and throws a statuette at Brick. It hits him nine o'clock, and he lets out a high yelp. Keeling over on his bike, he dives toward the dump. Zoey reaches an arm toward his fading form. "Brick!" She turns white-faced to Heather, who holds a Gemmy award in the air, hair blowing in the wind like a black curtain.

The sound of metal grating against metal slices the air in half. Heather and Zoey wince and cover their ears. The latter looks through the right of the front window and bugs her eyes out. Cameron's arms tremble as he leans out of his wheelchair and holds a metal plank inside an engine fan. It gets chopped into a zig-zag pattern, and he tosses it and lifts up a car door from his lap.

"What the-" Heather shuts and locks the door on Zoey, then seizes the controls. The zeppelin speeds up, and Cameron drops the car door to the floor and yanks the balloon cord, bringing him upward just in time.

Zoey stares up at him, then at the floor of her airplane, which holds two Gemmys. She picks them up and throws them at the nearest engine; both bounce off. "Dang it!"

Jo is positioned on top of the trash with her hang glider. As she bends her knees to run, Brick dives into the trash next to her. She leaps back. "_Brick?_"

He climbs up the hole his bike made and clings to the edge. "Hi, Jo."

"What on Earth happened to you?"

"Heather hit me where it hurts," he says with a wince. For a moment, he examines his bike underneath him. "Yep, that's wrecked."

Jo gets into position again, hang glider pointed toward the sky. "I'm going after her."

"Wait! You might need this." Brick rummages in the hole and tosses his smoke machine to her.

One of her eyebrows twitches up, and she takes it. "Not sure how this is gonna be useful, but thanks." She sprints to the point where the trash begins to slope down and jumps, the hang glider carrying her upward.

Cameron drifts back to the engine and thrusts the car door at it. The fan falters with the door wedged inside it, but the latter bends into itself until it resembles an accordion. It falls out, and the engine spins on.

Heather opens the right-side door. "You again?"

She grabs up more Gemmies and throws them, but a swan boat zooms in front of him. It deflects the statuettes, and Cameron lowers his arms from his face. "Thanks Zoey!"

"No problem!" She flies straight at the entrance, and Heather dives out of the way as the plane breaks through the surrounding wall, blocking any opening to the outside.

As Zoey gets out, Heather sprints to the controls and picks up the million-dollar case. "You don't wanna try to fight me. You will regret it."

The window shatters, and both spring backward as Jo lands with her hang glider. Her eyes pinpoint Heather, and she smirks. "Did someone say 'fight'?"

Cameron takes a stick of dynamite out of his sweatshirt pocket. "Well, Last Resort, whether you used to belong to Chris or Izzy, I really hope you work." He lights up the fuse with the balloon burner and throws the dynamite into the engine.

_**BOOM!**_ The engine shatters. Metal shards fly everywhere and puncture Cameron's balloon, sending it falling. Jo, Zoey, and Heather stagger from the explosion, then fall into the control panel as the zeppelin tips forward and plummets. Lake Wawanakwa draws closer and closer to the window. Jo sees Heather beside her with the suitcase and points the smoke machine at her, pressing its button. _FWOOSH!_

Heather enters a fit of coughing, eyes watering and hands clutching her throat, and Jo swipes the suitcase. She climbs up the control panel and motions to Zoey. "Come on!" They jump out the window and hits the water just before the zeppelin, which makes a massive **_SPLASH! _**before submerging.

Jo and Zoey break the surface and take a gulp of air. Their hair is strewn across their eyes. Cameron drifts over to them, hanging onto a radioactive barrel. "Hi guys."

Chris and Chef zip over to them in a speedboat. "Congratulations, Cameron!" Chris says. "You just won today's challenge! We'll have to find Heather and all my-" he sniffs- "Gemmy awards, not to mention the zeppelin's ruined, but oh well."

"So it _is_ a zeppelin!" Cameron says.

"Who cares what I call it? It's nothing now."

Heather's head bursts out of the water, gasping for air. Chris points at her. "You! You disrespected my Gemmys! You're gonna pay in _court!_"

"Oh please," she scoffs, "those things are just iron covered in gold paint."

"Why you little-" Chris shoves her head under water, inducing her gurgled screams. He quickly gets dragged underwater as well, and a plethora of bubbles rises.

Chef swishes his head side to side as Jo, Zoey, and Cameron watch with wide eyes. "He's way too obsessed with those doll things."

* * *

**CONTESTANTS' CABIN**

In the males' bedroom, Cameron and Brick reside in the bottom bunk beds. Cameron sits cross-legged in his, cleaning his glasses. Brick lies down with his hands behind his head, staring at the top bunk's bottom.

He turns over to face Cameron. "Cameron, I'm sorry that I upset you earlier."

Cameron pauses in his cleaning, then dangles his glasses upside down. "You shouldn't be."

Brick creases his forehead. "Why not?"

"Because you were just saying what you believe in: teamwork." He sighs heavily. "But I prefer to do things by myself, y'know?"

"Actually, I didn't. I just assumed you'd do as I say for the sake of a common cause." Brick chuckles. "I guess you could say I'm anxious to be leader of a team again." Cameron flips his glasses over and starts cleaning them again, and Brick switches himself to a sitting position. "Listen, Cameron, I was told by Zoey that you see me as a threat in the competition. I don't want that to affect anything between us-"

"And what is there between us?" Cameron says. "We're not friends, even if you are with everyone else. Yes, I see you as a threat, and I convinced Zoey to vote for you tonight. But the real truth is, I'm tired of people trying to help me just because I'm little. How am I supposed to grow stronger if all the more difficult tasks are done for me? My time outside is nearly up, and I'm still seen the same way I was at the beginning: weak and helpless. And certain people remind me of that constantly."

"Are you... talking about me?"

Cameron puts his glasses and looks at him straight, eyes gleaming. "Yes. I am. I thought you were doing things like offering to tag a totem pole for me, distracting Chef from me when he was chasing us, and helping Jo with training me because you thought I was incapable. But I've figured you out, and I see that it's more than that. You help _everyone_ because it makes you feel better about yourself. That's your drive, your obligation. Your kindness doesn't come naturally, it's to hide your flaws. In a way, that makes it even worse."

Brick sits still, his expression like a village ravaged by a tornado. A wince sitting in every feature, the foundation distorted. "You don't know everything about me," he says quietly. "My kindness hasn't always been fake, or contrived. I know I have selfish reasons, but you didn't know that I've been trying to get rid of those. And if anything, I've also been trying to be as open about my flaws as possible." The area between his eyes contorts in a spasm. "I don't know what your problem is, but I bet you wouldn't like it either if I brought up your personal issues as an accusation against you."

"At least you have issues that can be fixed!" Cameron snaps. "People will always look down on me, bubble or not, no matter what I do. Once I'm eliminated, or maybe even if I win, I'll go straight back to being trapped in my bubble like an animal. You have all the freedom in the world! And what do I have?" His voice cracks then, and he lowers it so that it is like a quiet hum. "Thirteen days at most, and ten of them are gone."

Brick's face becomes blank. "Wait a sec. You live in a bubble?"

"Yes!" Cameron shouts with a breathy undertone. He inhales through his mouth like the room is running out of air. "I can never escape it, not even in memory." Brick looks away from him, and Cameron's gaze becomes empty as well as detached from everything. "So you see, you're the complete opposite of me, meaning we can never get along. Please don't come to my training sessions with Jo anymore. The less people I have helping me, the better." He turns away. "Just go."

Brick stands up and walks to the door with hardly a sound. He opens it and steps out, but stops. He turns back. "Why do you train with Jo if you won't be able to do it inside your bubble?"

Cameron taps his fingers against his thigh a few times before meeting Brick's eyes. "I want to know what it feels like to not be weak for once."

Brick fidgets, as though wanting to say something, but he ends up closing the door behind him. Cameron goes into a bow while sitting and slides his hands over his face.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cabin, Zoey fixes her hair in a mirror while Jo does bicep curls on her bed. The latter narrows her eyes at the former as she moves her flower pin around her ear. "Hey, Red, are you in an alliance with Cameron?"

Zoey freezes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jo sighs. "Look, I'll tell you the real reason for my attitude towards you if you tell me the truth."

She slides her flower pin above her ear and turns around. "It's true. I just joined him today."

"That's what I thought." Jo puts her weights down and takes a deep breath. "You know, you're lucky that you can do girly things and not get laughed at or made fun of."

Zoey blinks a few times at the mirror. "I am?"

"Mhm. All of my friends- who are guys, by the way- see me as one of the guys. Then there's my brothers, who think I'm weaker than them just because I'm a girl, and I do everything to prove otherwise." Her eyes flit to her knees. "I don't know what I want. Neither, I guess. The fact that girls like you can just prance around in skirts and tube tops, and everyone thinks it's normal just... irks me."

"Hm." Zoey walks to the other bottom bed and sits on it. "You know what, Jo? The best advice I can give you is to find the right balance. If you ever feel the urge to do something feminine, do it! Don't care what other people think about you." She lets out a startled chuckle. "Whoa. Did I just say that? Well, that's something I need to work on as much as you do. Just keep in mind that only your true friends' opinions really matter, and they won't laugh at you for your girly side."

"Then I guess I don't have any friends," Jo sneers, standing up. "Not back home. Your advice is well-suited for you." She strides out of the room, leaving Zoey looking after her.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: ZOEY

"Yeah, I know I said this before, but I don't think Jo and I are meant to get along," Zoey says. "You can't get along with everyone, right? At least she was nice enough to explain herself somewhat. But I really miss Mike and Dawn right now." She takes Mike's necklace out of her pocket and stares at it. "I've been using this more as a lucky charm than a necklace, to be honest. It just feels safer to keep it in my pocket than around my neck, where it could get snagged somewhere."

* * *

Brick is jogging toward the woods. "Brick! Wait up!" Jo says, running off the porch.

He turns around and stops. "How come you're out here, Jo?"

She catches up with him. "I should ask _you_ why you're running without me again. What, afraid I'll beat you?"

One side of Brick's mouth rises higher than the other, looking like a failed attempt at hiding a smile. "Why do you care so much?"

Jo moves her eyes left and right. "It's more fun to have someone with you while you're jogging."

Brick's smile falters, but he nods. "That's true." They set off on the path in the woods, jogging side by side. "So... are you voting for Zoey at the campfire ceremony?"

"Who else is there to vote for?" she says. "We're obviously not voting for each other. Yet."

Brick starts. "Yet?"

She looks him straight in the eyes. "Look at us. We're the two biggest threats in the competition. Do you really think we're both gonna last?"

His mouth parts, but he hesitates for a second. "I think we could, as long as we keep doing what we're doing."

"Which is what, working and voting together? Chris must be thinking of a way to break that apart." She stops abruptly. "Wait just a minute. What we have between us- is it an alliance?"

Brick continues jogging with his head turned toward her. "You could call it that, if you want. I just thought of it as a mutual agreement."

A smirk sparks on her face. "That's what an alliance is, Brick Brain." **[4]**

"But remember Heather's alliance in TDI? That was more dictator-like than agreeable. Anyways, race you!" He sprints away from her with an impish grin.

"Oh no you don't, you cheater!" Jo dashes after him, twisting her expression into mock anger.

* * *

The cabin porch lights shine like stars in the ink of night. The campers come out of their cabin and begin walking toward the woods. Jo falls into step with Cameron and whispers in his ear, "I know about your alliance with Zoey. Brick and I made one of our own, and we might let you join if you vote Zoey off with us. Make your move."

His jaw goes slack, and he stares as she walks ahead.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Believe it or not, I actually think Cameron's a bigger threat than Zoey," Jo says. "He's more of a schemer, and that huge brain of his could be troublesome. That's exactly why I needed to make a move before he made one on me or Brick."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

Cameron is hunched over and clutching his head. "What do I do now? If Brick beats Zoey in a tiebreaker, I'm toast unless I either win invincibility again, or either Jo or Brick decides to betray the other. I'm having doubts that they would. Dang it, I should've talked to Jo earlier!"

* * *

The campfire lights up every camper's expression: Brick's gaze flicks back and forth, Jo looks bored as she picks at her nails, Cameron stares into the night as if searching for answers there, and Zoey steals a glance at Brick while crossing her legs.

Chris spreads out his arms behind the podium. "Campers, three of you are about to receive a ticket into the semifinals, and one of you is about to go home when you're_ this close_. Feeling nervous?"

"Just get it over with," Cameron sighs.

"Not much excitement here, apparently. The following campers are staying."

"Jo."

"Cameron."

"Brick. Zoey. One of you is on your way to the Hurl of Shame in a few moments." Brick and Zoey look at him indifferently, like they already know the answer. Cameron averts his eyes. "The person going home tonight is... _Zoey._"

Brick gasps, and Zoey makes a sound like her breath got knocked out of her. She stares at Cameron. "I thought we agreed to vote for Brick! Did you backstab me?"

"If I didn't, and you failed to win the tiebreaker, Jo and Brick would've been gunning for me," he says in a reluctant tone. "I'm sorry, Zoey."

Her gaze turns stone-cold. "You should've told me that before my elimination. Now I see you for who you are: a liar. Like Scott."

"I didn't know I was going to break our agreement until Jo talked to me right before we got here! I swear I wasn't going to before!"

Brick steps between them. "Cameron's just trying to stay as long as he can, like the rest of us. I bet he was too ridden by guilt to tell you before."

Cameron stares up at him like his dreams are mixing with reality. "I- I was." He turns to Zoey with as sincere a look as physically possible. "I apologize."

She analyzes him for a few beats before settling into calmness. "Dawn must be friends with you for a reason. She would want me to forgive you. So I will."

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Zoey sits cross-legged in the catapult, shifting her legs around. Chris, Brick, and Cameron are also there. "Any final words, Zoey?" Chris says.

"I need to ask Cameron something," she says. Cameron comes forward, his hands behind his back. "Do you miss Dawn and Mike?"

His eyes flash into circles for a second. "Of course! They were my best friends here! I'd do practically anything to visit them and see how they're doing."

She chuckles. "Good answer. At least I know you're not a bad person. Come closer, I have a private question for you." Cameron leans his ear toward her, and she whispers into it. A sudden flush sweeps over his face.

Chris yawns into his hand. "Secrets are boring."

He presses his remote, and Zoey gets flung into the sky. "_AAAAAAAAYE!_"

"Music to my ears! Ahhh, haven't done that in a while." Chris swivels around to the camera. "And that concludes our episode, peeps! The final four has become the final three: Jo, Brick, and Cameron! The biggest question: who will make it to the finale? Tune in next time to find out, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

NOTE: And Zoey's gone! Some of you saw this coming, but I still wanted her to go out with a bang. I took great pleasure in making her more complex than in canon; thank you to everyone who has complimented hers and others' portrayals. Here's a poll update: Brick is still in the lead, and Jo is still last. I predict Cameron will receive little to no votes after this chapter, but we'll see.

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- This is an unnecessary annotation, but I have been WAITING for this cameo. Hopefully I did Heather justice.

**[2]**\- Jo's hang glider is actually Harold's from TDDDDI.

**[3]**\- The wheelchair is probably Sierra's from TDWT- hey, it was never said who it belonged to in canon.

**[4]**\- A spin on Jo's canon nickname for Brick, Brick-for-Brains. I figured this sounded nicer.


	22. The Enchanted Franken-Forest (Part 1)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Sorry to those who prefer full-length episodes, as this one was too long to keep together. (I'm pretty certain it's going to be about 10,000 words or more.) On the upside, the second part should be up within a few days, if not by tomorrow even. I'll try my best to make the finale one chapter.

Poll update: Brick has twice as many votes as Cameron, who has twice as many votes as Jo. We're nearing the end, people! The next chapter will mark the last chance to vote, as I will close the poll when I post the finale.

* * *

**CONTESTANTS**

REMAINING: Jo, Cameron, Brick

ELIMINATED: Staci, Dakota, B, Lightning, Sam, Anne Maria, Scott, Dawn, Mike, Zoey

**RECAP**

Chris has his hands behind his back on the dock, the lake swishing around him. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island!: lots of stuff was thrown around by the campers and a certain raven-haired _thief_ in an epic air battle. Zoey teamed up with Cameron in constructing her airplane and quickly formed an alliance with him to vote off Brick. Then, Heather hit Chef and me upside the head and threw us out of my zeppelin in an attempt to escape with the million dollars, not to mention my prized Gemmys! Witch. Luckily, the contestants managed to stop her. Cameron had a falling-out with Brick, Jo smoked Heather in the face, and Cameron emerged as the winner in the end. We couldn't salvage the zeppelin, but it was a piece of junk anyway. Jo got Zoey to admit to her alliance with Cameron, who she then backed into a corner by aligning with Brick. And what's a small bubble boy against two strong jocks? A popped one, that's what!" He snickers and wipes a tear from his eye. "Ah, I make myself laugh. Ten players down, three to go! Only two will make it to the final round. Who will be left standing? Find out right now, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**CONTESTANTS' CABIN**

Silence reigns in the males' bedroom. Despite Brick and Cameron being the only male contestants left, the air is thick with the odor of dust, dirty laundry, and perspiration, as well as tension above it all. Cameron sits on his bunk in the shadows, holding a textbook near his face. He stares at it with a forced concentration, his furrowed eyebrows quivering. Brick still wears a tank top and striped pajama bottoms; he leans on the frame of his bunk bed, lifting one leg behind his back. He holds it for two seconds and switches to the other one, gazing at the wall.

He casts Cameron a furtive glance. Grabbing his olive green t-shirt off his bed, he slings it over his shoulder and strides out the door.

"Morning, private."

Brick turns to his left and finds Jo leaning against the wall. The rigidness of his features softens. "Hi, Jo."

She squints at him. "You okay? You kinda look like a meltdown waiting to happen."

He squeezes a smile onto his face. "And what could cause that now? We've made it all the way to the final three."

"I won't celebrate unless I win." Jo skims down the steps. "And if I don't, I won't celebrate at all."

He tosses his shirt on and joins her, and they jog through the grass toward the nearby woods. "Sounds like you need a refresher of what you said before. 'Take pride in your accomplishments' ring a bell?"

She stops, her eyes hardening like plates of armor. "You don't get it. I'm doing this to show up my brothers. This is my one chance to gain something they can't take away from me."

Brick turns toward her with one side of his unibrow knit. "If you don't mind me asking-"

"What do I mean?" Jo resumes jogging and passes him, and he quickly joins her on the path. "I have to share everything with my brothers. It's infuriating. We're always fighting over who gets the last rib, who gets to go to the bathroom first, everything!" She blows a gust of air out. "You know what? Let's just stop talking about them. What did you come here for?"

He hesitates. "Um, well, I wanted to see if I'd succeed at the challenges. That, and I wanted to meet some new people."

"What about the million dollars?"

His gaze flickers away briefly, like the beat of a butterfly's wings. "That wasn't my main purpose coming here."

"Sure it wasn't." Jo drills her eyes into him. "You seem really off today. Stay up late or something?"

"Jo-" He exhales- "how are you so perceptive? I'd love to be able to perceive others' feelings like you do."

"I also have the ability to perceive when people skirt around my questions."

"I wasn't really skirting, I just- I didn't stay up late."

She gives him a look rarely found on her: swooped eyebrows, eyes mellow and searching at the same time. "Then what's up?"

For a moment, the only sounds are the birds' chirping and the_ thump thump thump_ of their feet on the path. "Cameron told me how he really feels about me yesterday," Brick says quietly. "He was mad that I kept trying to help him. I didn't even realize how patronizing I seemed until now. See, I have this habit of taking others' responsibilities on myself, and I don't do it out of kindness." His gaze goes to the ground, eyelids falling down. "He said that I only help people to feel better about myself. And he's right. I don't know how to be kind from my heart."

Jo stares at him like he just said the most ridiculous thing possible. "What are you talking about?"

"Huh? I-"

"What. Are. You. Talking. About." Brick falters into a walk, and she matches his pace. "It just amazes me how clueless you are about yourself! Do you know how many times you've told me to be nice to Mike and Cameron? Not to mention you were the only one to talk to me in a friendly manner out of _everyone_. You've lectured me on kindness, respect, and humility, and you've demonstrated them a million times. It's like you don't even remember when you risked your life to save our team from mutant gophers! So don't tell me that you aren't sincerely nice, because I can safely say that that's bull."

A smile flickers on his face, as small as a fading one. "I'm flattered you think about me that way, Jo. However, you don't know how many times I've treated Cameron like a child and done completely unnecessary things for him and other people. It's mostly thanks to my code."

"Did you ever consider that your code might be good? You take it way too seriously, of course, but it still taught you good qualities."

He concentrates ahead of them. "Huh... I guess you're right."

"I know I am." She turns around. "We have to get back to Cameron now."

Brick rakes a hand through his hair. "Yeah, about that- he doesn't want me to join you guys anymore."

She squints at him hard enough to look like she is wincing. "Are you kidding me? _This_ is how he repays you for teaching him drills."

"Well, they're not exactly easy for someone who's starting out."

"That's the whole point of training! To get better!" A huff laced with a growl rises out of her. "I'm giving him a good chewing-out the moment we get back."

"There's no need for that. It's my fault for helping him too much, remember? He doesn't need me."

"Psht, you're being too nice to the little nerd. Did you two fight?"

He winces. "Kind of. Just- don't bother him about the details, okay?"

"Ah, fine. I'm still working him extra hard though, to make up for your absence."

Jo starts jogging back, and Brick's lips poke up and sideways while he jogs alongside her. "You mean, to punish him."

"Maybe that, too."

* * *

Inside the main lodge, the contestants are lined up in front of Chef's window. Chef hands each of them a boiled egg in a cup with the same width. "Whoa!" Jo says, examining hers from different angles. "Actual food? Congrats, Chef!" He scoffs and walks away. Brick waves to Sam at the sink, who returns the wave.

As Jo and Cameron walk away, Sam takes Chef's place. "Congrats on making it to the final three, man!"

Brick smiles warmly. "Thanks, Sam. Whether I make it to the final two or not, I hope to see you at the finale."

"Oh, I'll be there. Chris is having all of the eliminated campers sit and watch. I feel bad for Dakota in that regard, but it'll be nice to see her again." Sam leans toward him and lowers his voice. "Have you progressed with Jo at all?"

Brick's eyes widen, and he snaps his head left and right. "Who told you I like Jo?"

Sam's left eyebrow goes down as the other goes up. "Um, you did? A few days ago, that is."

"But I never said anything!"

"Uh, dude, you pretty much confirmed it when you stuffed your mouth with porridge."

Brick turns a diluted shade of red. "I- I was in a rush, that's all!"

"Don't worry about it, I won't tell anyone. But I do have to wonder- why do you like her?"

He slouches into a submissive posture. "Okay, fine. I like her for a lot of things. Her competitive streak, her 'take charge' attitude... just her boldness in general. It's always fun to talk to her, even though she teases me a lot, but it's okay. I enjoy it." A smile emerges little by little on his face, and he focuses less on Sam. "I really like her softer side too. It's more rewarding when it comes out, because you know that she isn't really a soft person. And even her eyes are something special- a really unique blue-violet. As unique as she is."

Sam chuckles. "Wow. You have it bad for her, bro."

The door opens, and all eyes turn to Chris as he steps inside. "Congratulations on making it to the final three, campers! Jo, Brick, Cameron- only two of you can make it to the finale, and today's challenge is the deciding factor of who gets catapulted before then. Because whoever wins it will get to choose who to take with them to the finale!" The campers gasp in unison and look at each other as if already weighing their options. "That's right! For the first time ever, the winner will get to choose the next loser! Should make things interesting, right? Anyway, come outside in ten so I can lead you guys to your next challenge destination. And it's a _good_ one, heheh."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

Cameron breathes out a sigh that resembles a low whistle. "Being in the semifinal just isn't the same without Mike and Dawn. Zoey asked me a, uh, question about Dawn before she left, and I do miss her quite a bit. Ironically, she helped me _not_ to look to the future. But she's gone now, and I think my vision of what's to come has been taking over." He buries his face in his hand. "Yesterday was bad- even though I won the challenge, I lashed out at Brick and stabbed Zoey in the back. I'm a mess."

He brings his face up and exhales, features dragged down by invisible weights. "I've been trying since the beginning to get everyone to see me as their equal. I thought it'd be possible because I wasn't in my bubble. But my abilities have been repeatedly overlooked, disregarded, unrecognized- and my weaknesses have come into the spotlight. They've singled me out from everyone else time and time again. I may have gained the respect of everyone, but I have not gained their recognition." The same low sigh flows out of him. "Maybe I should just give up training. I'm going back to my bubble within two days anyway." His eyes narrow at the ground. "I know my place. Though I hate it with a burning passion, I know my place."

He looks up and stares at the camera. "Dawn, if you're watching, I hope to see you soon."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"You know that feeling when someone says something, and it sticks in your head without your consent?" Brick says. "Yeah, I feel like that right now. I just don't get how Cameron was able to psychoanalyze me like that, and frankly, it scares me a little. But anyway, what I really came here to say was that if I win this challenge, I'm definitely bringing Jo with me to the finale. I just think she deserves it after all she's been through." He rests his chin on a fist and grows a contemplative look. "The same could apply to Cameron though... gosh, I guess we've all been through a lot."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Apparently everyone else is going to the confessional, so I just figured why not," Jo says. "If I didn't know Brick, I'd pick Cameron to go to the finale with me, just because he's scrawny. But I do know Brick, and it doesn't feel right to deprive him of the chance. But at the same time... I need the money. Believe it or not, I wish this was just another regular elimination, because all I want is the immunity."

* * *

The contestants stand on a dirt path, near the start of a tree-filled area separate from the woods. The place reeks of waste and chemicals, the grass is drained of color, and the wood on the trees hangs in peeling chunks. Mushrooms ranging in size, from smaller than a thumb to larger than any human, gather on the trees and the grass. Clouds hang overhead, casting the forest in darkness. Next to Chris stands an orange flower that dips like a bluebell, but still manages to reach his height.

"Welcome to the Mutant Forest of Terror!" Chris says, holding his arms out. "Your challenge is to race through the forest to find the elusive Chrysalis flower." He holds up a notebook, which has a photo of a pink five-petaled flower with a stem that resembles a long wavy tongue. "It's attached to a very special friend: a Venus fly trap. Or as I like to call him, Larry. First player to present it to me wins immunity _and_ the choice of who to take with them to the finale."

Jo crosses her arms. "Let me guess: Larry's a mutant?"

He snaps his fingers. "Correct! He's roughly the height of, oh, eight Camerons." A shiver passes through Cameron from head to toe. "Oh yeah, and watch out for the biohazardous sinkholes." He motions to a pit behind the contestants that jets out green steam like a geyser. "They put the 'Mutant' in the Mutant Forest of Terror. They're also where Chef gets his toxic marshmallows of loserdom."

"Um, question. How will we navigate this forest?" Cameron says.

"With maps, of course!" A chuckle rises out of him like a bad omen. "Well, a piece of one, anyway." The contestants stare as Chris takes out a map and tears it into three sections, handing one to each teen. "You can work together, or go it alone. Your choice." He walks back in the direction where they came.

Jo, Brick, and Cameron combine their map pieces, reforming the swirly path leading to the red "x". "Okay, I say we work as a team on this one," Jo says. "Any objections?"

"Though I prefer to work alone, there's no telling what kind of dangers exist here," Cameron says, darting his eyes back and forth.

"Can't be worse than mutant sharks and gophers," Brick says.

"And octopi," Jo says.

"Oh my!" Cameron says. The three chuckle, but Brick and Cameron meet eyes and suddenly stop, leaving just Jo's voice. Her laughter dies off.

"Uh, yeah. Let's get going." Jo withdraws her piece and walks down the path. As she passes the orange flower, the top fills up like a balloon and spits out a stream of fire toward her. She springs back. "WHOA!"

Brick starts toward her. "Jo! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jo grumbles, patting away the smoke rising from her sleeve. "Just stay on the right of the path."

Brick and Cameron tip-toe on the right edge of the path, joining Jo on the other side of the flower. "Is your piece of the map still intact?" Cameron says.

She scoffs, pulling it partway from her pocket. "Not like I was holding it up for the flower. Or should I say, flamethrower."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"My first steps into the forest, and I nearly get fried by a flower," Jo says, with a deadpan stare at the camera. "I forgot that Chris always likes to do something _special_ for the final three."

* * *

The campers trek on the dully-lit path, animal sounds bustling around them: hoots, growls, screeches, scraping, and rustling all combine to make a harsh, disharmonious melody. Jo walks in front and Cameron in the back; they all watch the forest with wary eyes and hasty steps. "This place sounds like a zoo," Brick says.

"It sounds like it's out to kill us," Cameron says, arms close to his chest.

Jo lets out a light cough. "Please." Cameron steps on a mound of dirt, and a tower of steam rises up behind him. His eyes round out as the ground gives way underneath him, and he falls into the hole. "AHH-"

Brick snatches his hand. They both look down at the steaming, glowing pool of waste underneath them. "So that's the sinkhole," Brick says, sounding sick to his stomach.

"_A_ sinkhole, yes," Cameron squeaks. Brick pulls him out, and neither meet each other's gazes. Cameron clears his throat. "Thank you."

Though Brick keeps a straight face, the left side of his unibrow shoots up. "You're welcome."

"You guys are making our time together wonderfully awkward. Well done," Jo says in a monotone. "Seriously, what did you say to each other?"

Both of their expressions flicker, as if recalling an unfavorable memory. Brick resumes walking. "Let's just go."

"Let's." Cameron joins him.

Jo fills in the space between them. "Oh, so you want it to _stay_ awkward. I see. I hope you two are able to work together when a_ giant Venus flytrap_ comes at you."

Brick whips his face toward her, flashing with ferocity. "I already told you what Cameron said to me. Can you stop pushing so hard? I at least didn't push you to talk about your brothers." Jo's expression freezes in place, like he slapped her. Noticing the change, the visible irritation on Brick melts away. "I'm sorry, Jo. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Obviously you haven't told me the full story, or you wouldn't have done it," she murmurs.

"I may have been unnecessarily harsh, but I was telling the truth," Cameron sighs. "Brick, I was just stating my observations on you. I'm sorry if they upset you, but there are way worse problems to have."

"Way worse problems?" Brick says, a simmer to his voice. "You tell me what my problems are, then you say they're not that important? According to you, I hide my flaws behind a mask of kindness. My happiness depends on how much I help people. Doesn't that sound terrible enough? There's such thing as a mental prison too, you know. But not only did you say that, you blatantly told me we're not friends, we can never get along, and you plotted to vote me off." He fires off a laugh like a gunshot. "People don't throw hurtful truths at each other out of politeness and respect. But I guess you didn't feel the need to hold back, did you? If you wanted me to feel hurt, then congratulations. You succeeded."

Cameron forms an unidentifiable expression- not without emotions, but with a splatter of them blending into each other. Jo stares at him like he has suddenly become hostile to her. "Whoa. Even I was never that mean to you."

Brick stops in the middle of the path and turns around, looking at Cameron with a sharp gleam in his eyes. "You know what else? I get the feeling that you're jealous of me for having more freedom than you. And not just that, it's the fact that I'm stronger than you. You would've acted the same way around me as you do with everyone else if it was only the first point."

"Well done, Brick," Cameron mutters, his usual high-pitched voice unrecognizably low. "You've accused me with my own personal issues and analyzed my behavior, just like I did to you." Brick tilts back on his feet, mouth parting as if about to gasp. Cameron shoves his hands in his sweatshirt pocket and walks past him, not looking back.

* * *

Chris and Chef reside on the other side of the finish line, watching a TV screen that shows the contestants. It splits into two different views as Cameron breaks away from Jo and Brick. Chef stands beside Chris in a lawn chair. "Man, I love getting to the final three on every season!" Chris says. "Know why?"

"Because you get to make the challenges extra torturous?" Chef says.

"No, I can do that whenever I want. I just can't always be that creative. Since the campers are so close to the finale, they turn more aggressive and compete against each other harder, which means higher ratings!"

"Ah, that's all you care about on this show," Chef scoffs.

Chris shines his exponentially-bleached grin at him. "Well, they do make me a multi-millionaire."

* * *

Brick and Jo stop on the path, holding their pieces of the map together. "We might have trouble finding the end of the trail without Cameron's piece," Jo says.

"We'll be okay," Brick says in an unaffected tone. He starts walking, and Jo matches his pace.

"Cameron just wants to be treated like everyone else. He told me that once, when I pushed him over the edge."

The area around his eyes wrinkles as he squints. "That doesn't give him a reason to lash out at me, like jealousy does."

"You lashed out at him too. In a way, you're both even." Jo breezes out a sigh. "You know why I used to constantly insult other people? It's because my brothers use the same kinds of nicknames on me. I've sort of become insensitive to them, but I still remember the way they used to make me feel inferior. At the same time, I knew I could dominate over others with the same tactic. It actually became part of my strategy when I arrived on the island, believe it or not."

"Really?" Brick says, eyebrows perched on his forehead.

"Yup. My point is, whether Cameron is jealous of you or not, he has a reason that he thinks justifies what he said. Just like I did. Just like you do."

Brick flicks his gaze back and forth on the ground. "So, I should try to understand where he's coming from without letting my feelings cloud my judgment?" He looks at Jo, and she nods. "We both know he wants to be stronger, that's why he's training with you. And he really hates being in his bubble... he wants to be seen as an equal, but his weakness and bubble are keeping him from achieving that."

Jo blinks three times. "You know, you're smarter than I give you credit for."

A smirk of good nature curls on his face. "You're generally a lot smarter."

"Let me rephrase what I just said: you're smarter than you give _yourself_ credit for."

"What can I say? I'm a cadet." He leans closer to her, softening his voice to a murmur. "Speaking of smarts, I just realized it would be smart for us to lower our voices in the Mutant Forest of Terror."

"Not exactly quick of you, Einstein," Jo says quietly. "But meh. The thought didn't occur to me either."

Cameron trudges among the congregation of trees, light and dark shadows passing over his face. "I'm not jealous of Brick," he mutters. "He has problems, just like I do." He stops and palms the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes tightly. "Why on Earth did I say that there are way worse problems than his? I_ know_ what I said yesterday was wrong." His hand drops, and he stares up. "I'm not fair, Dawn. If I was, I wouldn't be spilling my emotions all over people."

He continues walking, and within a minute, reaches a crossroad. On the left lies a clear path through the trees, and a dirt path takes up the right. Cameron rubs a finger against his chin. "I think the map said to go left... Might as well." He goes to the left and squints ahead at an orange blur in the distance. As he gets closer, it evolves into a wall of orange mutant flowers that reaches into the trees. He stiffens to a hard stop. "That's a real walk-in oven right there."

His eyes sweep the treetops. The third time around, they pinpoint a vine hanging out of one. "Bingo."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"I've considered who I'd bring to the finale in a scenario with Jo, Brick, and me in the final three," Cameron says. "If I win the choice, I'll pick Jo because: a, she's less popular among the eliminated contestants, and b, she's weaker than Brick. Not that I won't be overpowered either way, but still- I have to grab whatever advantages I can. Both are well-matched in athletic ability, but Brick's strength and skills in mixed martial arts would be a huge problem if Chris had us fight each other somehow. Just his strength alone makes many physical obstacles easy for him." He hunches over. "Makes me wish the finales on this show weren't always physical..."

* * *

Jo and Brick walk towards a bog swirling with radioactive green. Rocks stick out of the water, but the usual expanse of moss found in bogs is missing. The stench of trash and chemicals permeates the atmosphere, and both teens plug their noses. "Where's Cameron?" Jo says in a nasally voice. "He can't have gone that far."

"Maybe he took a different route," Brick replies. "Our map's just a line on paper. He might be cutting parts of the path." A tower of steam billows up behind him, and the ground crumbles. Jo pulls him out of the way just as a sinkhole opens up. He stares at it with round eyes. "Whoa! Thanks, Jo."

"Eh, you probably would've pulled yourself up anyway." She pinches her nose again. They walk the last few meters to the edge of the path. It abruptly cuts off to murky water, which is lined with stepping stones to the other side. Midway, an unusually large and dome-like "stepping stone" lies between two normal ones. "Guess we'd better cross."

Without skipping a beat, she hops across the stones on alternating feet. Brick follows just behind her. Nearing the large dome, Jo jumps too hard and falls forward. Brick catches her hand and pulls her back upright, his gaze sharp. "Careful."

Jo erases the shine in her eyes and the clenching of her teeth. "I'm aware. Thanks." She hops the stones more tentatively this time, standing on the dome to steady herself. It rumbles like an earthquake. "What the-"

A turtle twice her height and ten times her width rises to the surface, and she falls on her knees. It lets out an earth-shaking noise between a growl and a burp, leaping to its feet. Jo clings to the top of its shell, the rest of her body dangling. The turtle shakes itself like a wet dog. "Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh!"

"Jo!" Brick cries out. He yanks off his right boot and chucks it at the turtle's head. The turtle sniffs the boot's odor before it drops on a stepping stone and cringes, covering its nostrils. Jo lands next to the boot and runs across the stepping stones behind her at a speed only adrenaline can supply. Brick sprints away from the bog as she arrives at the entrance. "Let's run, before it recovers!"

"But we still need to get across!" Jo says, coming to his side.

"We'll find a way around the bog!" The mutant swims through the bog and climbs onto the path, stomping after them. Brick looks behind him. "_AH!_ _It's chasing us!_"

"What did you expect, Brickhead?" Jo yells, having to raise her voice over the stomping and roaring.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Turtles do NOT run on two legs," Brick says. "And they're certainly not the size of a house! Then again, sharks aren't supposed to have legs, gophers are supposed to be much smaller, and squirrels shouldn't be shooting lasers out of their eyes. Now that I think about it, it's a miracle I haven't lost my mind yet."

* * *

Cameron stands on a branch up in a tree, looking over the patch of mutant flowers. He clutches the vine in one hand. "Tarzan yell, or no Tarzan yell? Decisions, decisions... ah, what the heck." He leaps off the tree and sails over the flowers, letting out a ululating scream. "AHHHH-AH-AH-AHHHHHHHHH-AH-AH-AHH!"

The flowers shoot fire at him, and he picks his legs up, dodging by an inch. Dropping a good ten meters away from the flower patch, he lands ungracefully on his stomach. His vine gets disintegrated before it can fall back to the tree. He gets up and dusts himself off, breathing like he just jogged a mile. "Phew! That was fun, but terrifying. I'm never doing that again."

He continues on through the trees, his feet rustling the dead grass. The sound of a fly buzzing comes from behind him, getting louder every second. Cameron glances behind him and walks a bit faster, making a turn to his right. Soon, the buzzing chops through the air, and he spins around to find himself face to face with a fly whose height reaches down to his shins. "GAH!" It hovers in front of him with iridescent blue eyes like bowling balls. Cameron's expression clouds over as he gazes into its eyes. "My, what impressive eyes you have! So many photo-receptors..."

The fly nuzzles his shoulder, and he backs away. "Oh, heheh. I'm not a big fan of being touched, so-" Its mouth latches onto his head. "Yipe! Get away!" He runs away, detaching himself in the process; the fly zooms after him.

Jo and Brick sprint in front of the turtle on the path, enveloped in its shadow. "What are we gonna do?" Jo yells.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Brick screams.

Jo looks toward the trees on her right and skids to a stop, charging at a 90-degree angle from the path. "Turn right!" Brick makes a break for the trees behind her, and the turtle makes a groan sounding like a "Grrr". It shuffles in their direction and starts up again, crashing into trees and tipping them over.

Cameron runs from the opposite direction, the fly whizzing toward him. Jo approaches with Brick at her back, and she and Cameron lock eyes. Both look back and forth between each other and the pursuers behind them, faltering in their fleeing. By the time they look back at each other a third time, it is too late, and they collide with each other. "OOF!"

Jo falls on top of Cameron, and Brick trips over her. He flails his arms as he tips forward. "Whoa-oa!" The momentum pushes him onto the heap, and the fly and the turtle hone in on them from both sides.

"Hey, that turtle's my other admirer!" Cameron calls out. The fly stops cold. Its eyes transition to a burning red and zero in on the turtle. Rising to the turtle's height, it rams the other mutant into the ground. The campers untangle and sprint away as the fly and turtle tussle, the former flying around the latter.

Jo, Brick, and Cameron run until the mutants are out of sight. They stop and lean on their knees, chests heaving. "Hey," Jo breathes out, "why was that- fly chasing you?"

"It was- hitting on me," Cameron gasps.

"You're kidding," Brick wheezes.

"Nope. Why was- a turtle chasing- you guys?"

"I stepped on it," Jo says. Cameron quirks an eyebrow. "What? It looked like a stepping stone!"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"If Larry is any bigger than that turtle, we're gonna have a huge problem." She pauses. "Pun somewhat intended."

* * *

The teens walk in a row, with Jo between Brick and Cameron. The second turns his eyes to the third, looking like it takes a decent amount of effort. "I'm sorry for earlier, Cameron."

Cameron tilts his head down and holds his neck, not returning Brick's gaze. "I'm sorry too. I don't know what got into me when I said there were way worse problems than yours..."

Brick holds his hands up. "No, it's okay. I get it. Your bubble is an unlucky situation to be in. I was thinking of something else when you spoke."

Jo gives him an inquiring look, but he does not notice it. "Speaking of unlucky situations, has anyone considered how we're gonna get the flower from Larry? That thing's gotta be huge."

Cameron's expression jumps. "You know what? There's got to be a vine somewhere. If we can find one, one of us could swing down on Larry and grab the flower when he's not looking."

Jo's mouth lowers. "Wow. I'm impressed, training pupil."

"Don't call me that, please."

"Wait a sec, didn't Chris say the flower was_ attached_?" Brick says. "Larry will sense if one of us grabs it for sure!"

Cameron taps his chin twice. "One of us could still use the vine to snatch it quickly. I just realized, the flower is probably inside one of Larry's traps to protect it. As long as he doesn't have legs, we all should come out fine."

Jo blows her bangs up with a short puff. "Okay, since the phrase 'one of us' has been mentioned three times already, I'm just gonna say it. Who is 'one of us'?"

He looks at her. "You, Jo."

Jo falters in her step. "_Me?_"

"If Larry tries to trap you, you have the highest chance of evading him out of us all, thanks to your gymnastic skills."

Her jaw drops, as though she cannot believe what he just said. "I only did gymnastics when I was little! Who says I have any skills now?"

His gaze becomes shrewd. "You performed a split before, didn't you?"

She opens her mouth twice as if to speak and, after a second of closed-mouth silence, opens her mouth a third time. "I'm just flexible, that's all. Fine, I'll do all the hard work while you two stand and watch."

Brick fidgets in place. "If you want, Jo, I could do it instead."

Jo and Cameron give him the same knowing look. "No, that's okay, Brick," Jo says. "I can handle this."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"I know it looks like I'm falling into my habit again, but it's not that." Brick's unibrow furrows in the middle, making him look frustrated. "I just don't want to see Jo get hurt."

* * *

Chris sips a drink in a closed cup as he watches the teens walk on the screen, Chef leaning on top of his lawn chair. "Will the final three be able to get the flower? How exactly will Larry react? Will someone die today? Heh, kidding. Sorta, kinda. These answers and more when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"


	23. The Enchanted Franken-Forest (Part 2)

Back near the finish line, Chris holds a brown notebook open on his lap, showing three different pictures: a potted Venus flytrap in a baby stroller pushed by Chris, the two of them playing ping-pong, and the plant on top of a toxic waste barrel among others. "Ah, Larry. He used to be such a sweet, cuddly little guy. We were inseparable! Until I left him on the island and kinda forgot about him for a few years as the toxic waste piled up, mutating him into a freakish botanical mistake." He closes the notebook to show a picture of Larry's flower on the cover, and his bottom lip shakes. "They grow up so fast... Huhhhuhhhuh!" Chef crosses his arms and lifts his eyes up as Chris sobs.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CHEF

"I knew comin' back to the island would dig up old memories, but cryin' over a stupid plant?" Chef wiggles his head and huffs out a gruff sigh. "That's just pathetic."

* * *

Jo, Brick, and Cameron stand at the edge of another bog with stepping stones. In the middle of it sits a rock platform with Larry's single trap, gaping while the rest of Larry crumples under it. Teeth like stalactites line the inside of its mouth, and the flower sticks out of the middle. "Great. Now I have to make sure I don't impale myself on his teeth," Jo deadpans. **[1]**

"On the upside, there's a vine right over there," Cameron says, pointing to the tree next to them.

"Let's just get this over with." Jo starts scaling the tree with agility.

Brick and Cameron look at each other sideways, a few steps between them. Brick faces him and slides a hand over his neck. "Cameron, I wanted to say sorry for the way I've treated you. It's clear that you don't want my help, and you don't need it. You might not be strong in body, but you're stronger in mind than I'll ever be."

Cameron stares at him with calm, clear eyes. "It's not your fault, actually. It's mine. I've had some time to think about it, and you never had any ill intentions toward me. You were only trying to help, and your reasons to do so were never my business. I harbored resentment towards you for no reason other than my parents smothering me back home."

The cadet goes still and silent for a few seconds, then his expression gives way to twitching. "But- but what you said about me was true! You said so yourself! I should've realized that you were fine without me."

"Brick, those statements I made were false, and founded on bias. You've done a lot of genuinely nice things, including teach me how to climb and save me from falling into a sinkhole, and- well-" Cameron looks below Brick's face. "I_ was_ jealous."

Brick opens his mouth. "I'm up!" Jo shouts, perched next to the vine on a branch. "I'm gonna swing now."

"I'm sure you'll make it!" Brick yells.

Jo grabs the vine with both hands. "Bring some of it up," Cameron calls. She pulls it up, the vine growing slacker and slacker as Cameron tells her to keep going. When it is drooping three meters down the tree, he yells, "Stop!" Following his word, Jo stands on the thick part of the branch, clutching the vine toward her body. She takes a deep breath, stretches her neck left and right, and jumps.

Brick and Cameron hold their breath as she sails like a wrecking ball toward Larry. She leans backward as she closes in and reaches an arm out. Her hand latches onto the flower, and she yanks it. It stays on, bringing Jo's flight in reverse.

The guys' and Jo's eyes go huge. In edited slow motion, the leaves of the trap move up towards Jo. "JO!" Brick screams, taking a step with one arm reaching out, pupils contracting inside perfect spheres. Jo grinds her teeth together as she pulls, every last muscle on her body shaking. The flower rips free as the leaves close in on each side, and she leaps before they snap shut. She rolls through the air three times, tucked in like a ball, before landing squarely on a stepping stone.** [2]**

She throws her arms out to the sides like a gymnast right after a flip, and lowers them. Brick's and Cameron's jaws hang below their necks. Larry rumbles resonantly, rising into the air. Meters after meters of tree-like stem come out from under the leaves, until a grass-covered clod of dirt emerges as its body. Roots pop out like snakes from it, the largest and thickest becoming Larry's arms and legs. He grows his last few centimeters and ceases, now officially the size of a mansion.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_"

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

Cameron is shivering while hugging his legs. "My life flashed before my eyes. My life _flashed _before my_ eyes._"

* * *

Brick and Cameron run after Larry as he runs after Jo. She skims across the stepping stones and dashes down the path toward the finish line, only a frame the size of a thumbnail. Larry creates a one-second earthquake with every step, ravaging all the trees around him. Jo half-runs, half-stumbles in front of him, gripping his flower tightly.

"HEY!" Brick shouts. Larry pauses and turns his head. He receives Brick's boot in his face and roars deeper and louder than any animal. Birds fly out of the trees. He snatches Brick up and holds him hostage in the air.

"Brick! Hang on!" Cameron charges toward Larry. A plant arm lunges at his feet, and he jumps. Another shoots at his head, and he ducks, but yet another root wraps around his neck and lifts him next to Brick.

Strained chokes come out of Cameron as he tugs at the root, his face turning red. Brick fights harder to break free, wriggling wildly in the plant's grasp. A separate arm loops around the lower half of his body. "_No!_" he cries, making the roots ripple, but nothing more. One more root covers his mouth, and Cameron wheezes heavily as his face grows a blotchy purple.

Brick's eyes flash with tears as he watches Cameron suffocate. They run down his cheeks, wetting the root that covers his mouth.

Jo appears over Larry's head, dragging herself onto it. She ducks as a root snaps above her, and pulls out her whistle on her neck. "This ugly creature better have ears." She blows a note that would shatter glass, make one's ears ring for hours, and send hundreds more birds flying than Larry's roar.

_**WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**_

Larry lets out an animal-like scream and releases Brick and Cameron to the grass. He falls on his knees and topples over, sending Jo rolling onto the path. He hits the ground with a resounding **_THUMP! _**as Jo comes to a standstill on her back.

"Ohhh..." Jo pushes herself up onto her arms and grabs her head. She blinks hard several times before looking at Brick and Cameron a little ways behind her. Cameron lies on his back, eyes shut and chest rising and falling. Brick kneels next to him, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

She walks over and kneels beside Brick. "Is he okay?" she murmurs.

Brick hides his face in shadow, though his eyes are clearly marred by red. "I think so."

Jo holds up Larry's flower and offers a smile. Its petals are torn all over, and brown has mixed with the pink. "I still have the flower."

It has an immediate effect. Brick's whole body clenches, his face forming a web of cracks. The veins pop out of his arms as he makes two fists. "That flower nearly got Cameron_ killed_."

"But it didn't. We all get to win now." Jo holds out the flower to him.

He shoves it away with all of his force, sending Jo's arm flying to the side. He jumps on his feet and scoops Cameron in his arms, plodding toward the finish line. Jo walks ahead of him, hesitating for just a second before going under the checkered banner.

Chris rises out of his chair, Chef following behind him. "And today's victory goes to Jo! She wins a guaranteed spot in the finale and gets to pick the loser of her choice tonight." He extends his hand to Jo. "May I have the flower, please?" She puts in his hand, and he walks up to Larry. "Larry! Buddyyy. Look what I rescued for you!"

Larry raises his head from the ground and pants like an excited dog. Chris holds out the flower, and Larry slurps it up. "Who's a good man-eating plant?" Chris coos, rubbing Larry's head. "Larry's a good man-eating plant! Yes you are, yes you are!"

Jo and Chef watch this occur on the TV. "Am I really seeing this?" Jo says. Chef just shakes his head and turns to Brick, who is placing Cameron in Chris's chair.

Chef claps one hand on his shoulder, and the cadet jumps. "You did well, soldier. Don't blame yourself for what happened."

Brick nods like he is made of rusty machinery, looking down on a peaceful Cameron.

* * *

The sky is a bruised violet, on the cusp of nighttime. The stars shine weakly around a half-moon, their light broken by the glow of the cabin.

Both doors open, and the campers step out. Each of them look distinctly tired, but become alert as they take notice of each other. "Why are you guys coming out early?" Jo says.

"Why are you?" Brick and Cameron say.

She looks thoughtfully at the porch for a few seconds, then shrugs. "After everything that's happened today, I just wanna get this thing over with, y'know?"

"I hear that," Brick says, the exhaustion settling back into his features. "After seeing you two almost die, I'd really like to just call it a day."

"Did you decide who to bring with you to the finale yet?" Cameron asks, his gaze flickering from Jo to Brick.

A guard falls over her eyes, closing off any giveaway signs. "Yeah. I have."

Cameron nods slowly. They head into the woods, their feet shuffling on the path among the black outlines of trees. Brick walks ahead of the others and pushes through the bushes at the end, entering the clearing. A bonfire glows with a warm light in the middle, crackling softly.

The teens sit on the front row of stumps, leaving two seats empty. Brick slumps over with his chin on his fist, staring into the fire. Jo frowns at him. "You're _still_ upset? I thought you and Cameron worked things out."

"We did," Cameron says. "Take this from me, Brick. Keeping your feelings to yourself makes things worse. You'll just end up lashing out at people."

Brick looks like he does not hear them at all, his gaze lost in a different time from the present. "I know."

"Look, I've had enough of people moping on this show," Jo says. "If you tell us what on Earth's the matter with you, I'll make my own confession. In fact, I think we all need to vent, and now's a good time."

Fog gathers into Cameron's expression. "Since when do you talk about your feelings?"

She gives him a pointy look. "Since now."

Brick adjusts himself to be straighter, gripping his knees. "I'll take you up on your offer, Jo." He sighs the way one does to see his own breath in cool air. "I keep thinking back to what happened with Larry. Cameron was being choked by him a meter away from me, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it."

"If this is Round Five of you beating yourself up, " Jo says, "here's my consolation to you. YOU. DID. NOTHING. WRONG."

He meets her eyes, his own clear and steady. "I'm aware of that, and I'm not upset. At least, not anymore. I've faced my weakness more times than I can count here, and I'm not afraid of it now."

"Then what do you need to tell us?" Cameron says.

"I think I owe it to both you guys and myself to explain why I can be hard on myself sometimes."

Jo's mouth forms a capital "o". "_Sometimes?_"

"Okay, okay, why I_ am_ hard on myself." He scuffs his feet on the ground, glancing between Jo and Cameron. "You both may think you know me, but you don't. Not completely. I feel like everyone has been seeing me as some sort of hero, and no matter how hard I try to make them see the truth, it doesn't work." He turns to Cameron. "Cameron, you shouldn't feel any jealousy toward me whatsoever. I used to be just like you, except a lot less intelligent."

"So this_ is_ Round Five," Jo mutters.

"No, this is the good-to-honest truth, I swear. In fact, what's ironic about you saying I beat myself up earlier is that I _was_ beat up before, by other people." Jo and Cameron flutter their eyelids, seeming to not understand him. "I wouldn't have been considered a jock by any means in middle school. This group of jocks, who were obviously much stronger than I was, one day decided to pick on me, the guy who kept to himself. They called me lots of nicknames, but the main one they called me was Peewee, for my short height and the pants-wetting habit I used to have." Jo bites down on her bottom lip and looks down, and Brick gives her a generous smile. "It's okay, Jo. You didn't know. I remember school was my own definition of hell, and I wanted to transfer more than anything. So I asked my parents if I could switch to cadet school, and they let me."

"You told them about school?" Cameron says.

Brick's eyes switch to the ground. "No. I never told my parents."

A pause of silence. "Then how'd you convince them to let you transfer?" Jo says.

"Easy. I told them I wanted to join the military when I grow up," he replies. "I ended up enjoying cadet school even more than I thought, and it's pretty much become my life at this point. I absorbed all of the knowledge in my classes and threw all of myself into every physical activity. Gave myself a clean slate." He puts his elbows on his thighs, staring back into the fire. "I remember what I thought at the time, that being strong would stop the pain. But it never went away, no matter how hard I tried to forget. So when Ryan showed up at my door months later, I was really angry. He acted awkward, like he wasn't the ringleader of everything his group did to me, and he asked where I disappeared to. I guess he was surprised at my appearance." His head twitches toward his left. "I, uh, don't remember what I said, but I did end up hurting him pretty badly. His friends had to come out and drag him away from me. They left without saying a word, and I tried to feel proud of what I did, but I couldn't. I'd violated my cadet code. From that point on, I tried my hardest to follow my code, and if I failed to in the slightest way, I'd always deliver the punishment myself. As you both know, that led to me doing things for others that they could've done themselves."

He tears his eyes from the fire, still radiating with its bright heat. "But I feel like my whole viewpoint has changed since I came here. I feel like I've... reached an acceptance of some sort. And I couldn't have done that if you two weren't here."

Jo claps him on the shoulder, giving off an air like a friend looking after him. "Well, you made it through all that, soldier. Anything is possible."

"I'm sorry for what I said to you yesterday, Brick," Cameron says softly. "I was sorry before, but I'm even more sorry now."

Brick smiles, his face clean of animosity. "It's okay, Cameron. I'm over it, and you should be too."

A bush in front of them moves, and all three teens look at it. After three seconds, they turn back to each other. "Hey, shouldn't Chris be here by now?" Cameron says.

"He's probably getting a latte or sparkling lemonade," Jo scoffs. "Anyway, I don't think either of our confessions can beat Brick's."

A corner of Brick's mouth slides up. "Are you trying to get out of our deal, Jo? Because I'll be very sad if you don't say anything in return."

"The bully victim sure knows how to exploit sympathy," she grumbles. "Very well... but I'm keeping it short. So, you two obviously know I used to be into gymnastics."

"Used to be?" Cameron says, sharing a glance with Brick.

She huffs. "Fine, I still am. Ugh, this is gonna be so embarrassing to say out loud. In middle school... I used to be a cheerleader."

"_What?_" Brick and Cameron yelp.

"Yes, I know, what a surprise!" she says with an exceedingly harsh tone. "The head cheerleader, who I like to call Barbie Wannabe, was jealous of me for being better than her, so she conducted a whole bunch of stupid girly things, like spread gossip about me and put men's razors in my locker. I put up with this for _three years_. Everyone was making fun of me for doing something girly like cheerleading- the cheerleaders, my classmates, my brothers, even my friends."

"Some friends," Brick mutters.

She shoots him a sharp glance. "Hey. They might act like complete idiots sometimes, but they're still my friends. But by eighth grade, I was just about ready to quit, no matter how much I loved cheerleading- ugh. I can't believe I just said that. However, Barbie Wannabe decided to leave a farewell present. She left a condom in my locker with a lovely note that said I would need it for when I hooked up with one of my friends."

Cameron clicks his tongue. "Wow. Very Mean Girl-esque."

Brick shakes his head fervently from side to side. "That's an extremely crude joke. No one would ever mistake you for a guy."

Her expression turns dead serious, not a glimpse of light in her eyes. "Wanna bet?"

He lurches back. "Wait, someone actually did?"

"Right on this show," she deadpans. "Anyway, that was the last straw for me. I grabbed my cheerleading stuff and walked right out of there, and never went back. And that's my story, which I'm sure is a thousand times less interesting than Brick's."

"I disagree," Brick murmurs, staring at her with sincere attention.

She runs a hand down her forearm and looks at the bonfire. "Yeah, well, you're you saying that."

Cameron puts a fist on his throat and clears it. "Is it my turn to go?"

"You're the only one left," Brick says, "so go ahead."

"Alright." He drums a beat on his thighs. "You both know I live in a bubble and all that. It's not as bad as you might think. Sometimes I wish I could experience everything I read about in person, and having almost nothing to do except read all day can make me bored out of my skull. But all the same, I prefer peace and quiet to harsh pandemonium. Probably the worst thing about being in my bubble is being separated from everyone else though. They tend to treat me like I'm not there, especially my dad's friends." His eyes shine like black marbles, even the light of the fire unable to penetrate them. "They visit our house frequently. The pity looks they give me every time are the worst. I'll be sitting in the living room, listening in on their scientific discussions with my dad in the dining room, when one of them asks him how I'm doing. I'm literally a few meters away from them. They interrogate my dad about my health like I'm some kind of hospital patient, then when he tries to tell them how smart I am and have me join them, they look at him like he's crazy. What's most infuriating is that I understand everything they talk about, from genetics to rocket science to computer engineering. And they never even give me a chance!"

Silence ensues, and Brick and Jo flick their eyes toward each other, then back to Cameron. He slides down in his seat and squishes his cheek on one fist, seeming to age twenty years in his expression. "I've felt like that throughout my time here too. I've had to prove myself to everyone over and over, and it never sticks in their heads. Well, most of their heads. But either way, I don't want help. I don't want pity either. Both imply that I'm not a regular human who can take care of himself." His hand falls, and he leans on his knees while staring up at Jo and Brick. "But still... thank you both for saving my life."

Brick looks at him with one side of his unibrow dipped over his eye. "No problem, soldier. But you should know that real recognition is gained through respect and kindness, not by talented displays. And I do have to wonder, why don't you just tell your parents you don't like your bubble?"

"It's not that easy," Cameron sighs. "They'll just tell me that I'll catch a disease, I don't understand my bubble's importance, it's the only thing that's keeping me alive, et cetera."

"Well, have you at least tried?"

Cameron squints and furrows his eyebrows, pausing before answering. "No, but does it make any difference?"

"It sure does," Brick says. "Sometimes you need to tell people your opinion straight-out for them to listen to you."

"One of the reasons I came here was to prove to them that I can thrive in the outside world," Cameron mutters.

Brick's concentration on Cameron grows deeper. "You don't have to prove yourself to anyone. It's their fault if they don't treat you the right way. Like, just because people used to call me a waste of space doesn't mean I was, you know?"

Jo opens her mouth into a chasm and yawns deeply. "Yeah, Mr. General's said pretty much everything for me. Just don't take my prodding as some form of condescension, because I do that to everyone."

"Got it," Cameron says, a hint of a smile in his expression.

The bush in front of them shakes, and Chris steps into the glow of the fire. "Greetings, campers!"

They jerk back in their seats. "AH!"

Jo leaps to her feet, mouth set in a snarl like an angry dog. "If you were listening in there the entire time, I swear _I will kill you_."

Chris pushes his hands out in front of him. "Whoa-ho, relax, dudette. I just got here!" Chef comes out behind him with the marshmallow tray and the case holding the toxic marshmallow. "Have you decided who you want to boot yet? 'Cause the marshmallows are all ready."

Queasiness on the borderline of severe nausea slides over her expression, like she got struck by the flu. She squeezes her eyes shut briefly. "Just so you know, Brick, my choice doesn't reflect how I feel about you. I came here to win, and I'm working toward that goal to the very end. That's why I'm taking C-"

"Stop!"

Jo, Brick, Chef, and Chris turn to Cameron, all clearly caught off-guard. Cameron gets up and steps forward, his eyes steeled-over. "I never really came here for the money. I got the outdoor experience I always wanted, and now it's time for me to go home and confront my parents about my life. Money won't do that for me."

"Um, Cameron? Yeah, that's nice and all, but it's not your choice," Chris says.

"No! It's my time. I know it." Cameron clenches his fists at his sides. "And I _embrace it_. I entered this competition a boy in a bubble, but I will return a _man_, in or out of a bubble." He strides with purpose toward the Dock of Shame. "Chris, you may hurl when ready!"

Chris and Chef exchange a shrug and follow him. Brick gives a Jo a look that says, "Are you seeing this?" She averts her gaze and joins the beeline toward the dock.

* * *

**HURL OF SHAME**

Cameron scrunches inside the catapult, fitting neatly inside. Brick and Jo walk over to him. "I just wanted to say, thank you for doing this," Brick says. "If this doesn't gain you respect everywhere, I don't know what will."

Cameron shrugs. "I don't know what will either, but I'm not out to prove myself."

A smile climbs up Brick's face, and he gives him a light punch on the arm. "That's the spirit."

Jo copies Brick on Cameron's other arm. "Good luck convincing your parents to pop that bubble, ex-student."

Cameron smiles his final goodbye. "Thanks."

_WHAM!_ He gets thrown into the air with a high-pitched "AAAAAAAAAAAH!", flailing for about ten seconds before hitting the water. Brick salutes in his direction, and Jo follows his motion.

Chris turns to the camera. "Well, that's it for this episode! The ultimate underdog has left, leaving the two closely-bonded jocks to battle it out in a unrelenting, death-defying match of physical combat! Who will win? That's the most important question of all this season, to be answered next time, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- I would just like to point out that, at this point, Brick has gotten his boot back from the first bog. Larry's bog is ahead of the first.

**[2]**\- I'm annotating this bit of irony because probably no one would think all the way back to Lightning otherwise. Hint: Jo called him a show-off.

NOTE: Last chance to vote on my poll! Of course, Cameron's no longer an option. I don't know if it's just me, but I can't believe this story is already coming a close... It's been a fun ride, guys.


	24. Brawn vs Brawn: The Ultimate Showdown

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

First of all, before I say anything else, I am sorry for taking this long to update. I didn't think this finale would take a month to write- that is, until it showed that it would. It took me two weeks to really get back into the groove of writing, and by then, I realized that I'd have to do a ton of research for the challenge. Which I did. It took much, much longer than I expected to write an accurate portrayal of my research, and I cannot describe the torture of writing for so long on a subject that doesn't interest me. But not to worry, the parts that dragged on (a.k.a. the boring parts) have been cut out. This episode would have been about 5,000 words more and an absolute drag if Foreseer44 hadn't told me it was too much. It would've been like a research project, so you can thank him for preventing that.

Yes, this finale is a full episode. Truthfully, I'm glad for it, because I cannot imagine separating it into two parts the way it is. I'm guessing the recap will be much more useful for refreshing your memory after a whole month, huh? Hopefully it's an adequate refresher. Unless you decide to skip it- that works, too.

Enough stalling now. You and I both have been waiting for this. For the last time, enjoy. :-)

* * *

**RECAP**

Chris stands on the dock with Chef in front of a clear blue sky. The latter wears a strapless hot pink gown slit up to the thigh, topped with a matching chef hat and a diamond earring and necklace set. He holds the million dollar suitcase in front of him. "Last time on Total Drama Revenge of the Island: the final three went hunting for my old pal Larry, the human fly-trap, heheh. They tried to work together, but past complications between Brick and Cameron resurfaced, causing Cameron to split off. It wasn't long before the final three were brought back together by the mutant forest creatures, with Brick and Cameron patching things up after Jo did some surprise-counseling. When they reached Larry, Jo snagged his flower and showed off her true gymnastic skills to avoid getting eaten. In a climactic chase by Larry to the finish, Cameron nearly got choked to death, but Jo saved the day with her whistle. She came out victorious and got the choice of who to bring with her to the finale. But just as she was about to pick Cameron, he launched a shocking speech stating his voluntary elimination. Now, only two competitors remain: Jo and Brick, in the ultimate Total Drama showdown. It's brawn vs brawn in a tooth-rattling, ego-fashioning, life-threatening battle for a cash prize of _one, million, dollars!_"

Chef opens the suitcase, revealing stacks of dollar bills that fill the entire space. He purses his lips and glances at an unaware Chris, slipping his hand inside the case. _SNAP!_ "OW!" The cook jerks back his hand, squeezed in the middle by a mouse trap, and Chris snickers. Chef gives him a look that says, "Not funny."

"You know you had it coming," Chris says. "Who will win the million dollars _without_ trying to steal it? Find out right here, right now, on the epic finale of, Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**CONTESTANTS' CABIN**

The sun peeks over the trees, light washing over them like fire. An intense orange blazes across the sky, casting a glow on the cabin. Not a sound is heard.

_Creak._ The door to the females' bedroom opens a crack. Jo squints through it briefly before stepping out. She closes the door a bit at a time until it makes a soft click, then makes her way quickly down the steps.

The other door opens, and Jo freezes. "Crap," she mutters.

Brick walks out, the sunrise entering his eyes, unibrow curled in an "s". "Jo? Why are you up so early?"

She turns around and plants her hands on her hips. "I should ask you the same question."

"I kinda like to wake up at this time and sit on the porch. You know, look at the sunrise."

"Uh huh..." She turns back forward. "I'm taking my jog now. No need to come with."

Jo reaches the ground and shuts her eyes as Brick jogs down behind her. "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well?"

She faces him again, her eyes tired. "Not really. I just want to be alone right now."

His face shifts to a new expression, laced with wrinkles across his forehead and around his eyes. "Did I upset you?"

"No... Has it even occurred to you that you should be upset at me?"

"Is this about the elimination ceremony?" Jo looks away. "Jo, it's okay. As you said, this is a competition. I would've chosen Cameron over you too."

Jo arches an eyebrow while keeping a straight face. "Really."

"Well- okay, no. But that's just because-" His cheeks glow red- "I'm not a strategic thinker like you are."

"I was gonna take away your chance at a million dollars, Brick. I shouldn't be the only one who feels bad about that."

Brick steps toward her, closing the gap between them. "But I understand why you did it. I'm supposedly a threat here, and you need me out of the way to win."

A smirk curls on Jo's face like a vine. "And you need _me_ out of the way to win. I've beaten you more times than you can count."

He grows a similar smirk, like the acceptance to a challenge. "True, but I'm especially determined today."

"So am I."

"My dream of attending fashion school is on the line. You?"

Jo makes a sound like spraying liquid out of one's mouth. "_Fashion school?_"

Brick puts on a stern look and crosses his arms over his chest. "You heard me. Fashion school."

"Okay then, Gucci," she says with a snicker. "I'm aiming to start my dream gym. You know, something worthwhile?"

Brick gestures to her outfit. "Where do you think the people who made your clothes went to? They had to learn how to do that."

"Yeah, they had to learn how to make machines do all the work for them."

He shakes his head and walks past her. "I shouldn't have said anything."

One of her eyebrows dips, and she catches up to him. "What? I never said it's a dumb idea."

"You're not even interested in dressing up."

Jo makes a point of looking over his ensemble. "Oh, and you are?"

He throws his hands up and slaps them back on his thighs. "So I didn't fully realize my dream until recently. Still, we have different interests."

She snorts. "Yeah, I'm more masculine than you are."

They near the path to the woods. "Perhaps," Brick says, a side of his mouth forming a crook. "How did we end up as friends?"

The amusement in Jo's expression flattens out, and she looks ahead. "I don't know. I just hope we stay that way."

Brick turns his head to her for a moment, a question in his eyes. It goes unasked. Eventually, as they take a leisurely stroll through the woods, Jo speaks again. "You're the nicest friend I've had so far. I was repelled by your niceness at first, because it's so different than what I'm used to. But just so you know, I've appreciated our time together."

Brick blinks hard. "Oh. Um, thank you, Jo. Me too."

"Enough to keep our friendship once the show is over? And regardless of who wins the million?"

He forms a smile that seems held back somewhat. "Of course. Friends till the end." Jo returns a smile that seems much more genuine, making Brick's own ease up.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

He ducks his head and leans on his knees. "I don't know what to do about my feelings for Jo. Act on them? Toss them aside? It's obvious she doesn't feel the same way, and I don't want to burden her. But at the same time, I know I shouldn't run away from situations like this."

* * *

When dawn gives way to morning sky, Jo and Brick jog back into the campground and stop. A TV screen stands in front of the cabins. Jo walks over and raps a fist on it. "What's this doing here?"

Both finalists jump at a fanfare of trumpets ahead of them. Two sallow-faced interns walk into the campground, pointing trumpets into the air without playing; one holds a boombox that plays the music. Chef comes in behind them, wearing a gladiator helmet and pulling Chris in a chariot. "All hail Mighty McLean."

Chris steps out in a toga and a laurel headdress. He juts out his chin and adopts a stiff posture. "My intro could've used more enthusiasm, slave." Chef's face puckers at his back. "Anywho, greetings, gladiators! Today, you will be facing off against each other in a grand arena. But first, as a reward for making it all the way to the finale, you each get thirty seconds to talk to a loved one."

Brick opens his mouth, curling the edges up. "Seriously? For real?"

Jo crosses her arms, expression dripping with disinterest. "If by 'loved ones', you mean family members, then no thanks."

Brick stares at her. "You don't want to see your family?"

She flits her eyes away. "No."

"They want to talk to you, so yeah, you're talking to them," Chris says. "But Brick's up first, anyway."

Brick steps in front of the screen, twiddling his fingers together. The screen flickers to static, then to a room with mint green walls. A plush navy blue couch stands in the middle, holding a man and a woman. The man has a bit of grizzled facial hair and the build of a heavy-lifter, his muscles bulging in a basic gray shirt. The woman has hair the color of dark chocolate that fits around her heart-shaped face. She wears a blue bodycon dress that can easily be mistaken for black at first glance. Both adults wear smiles big enough to form crevices around their eyes, which shine with a warm intensity.

Brick opens his mouth, but Mr. McArthur speaks before he can, holding out his arms. "My mighty soldier! Why, I never doubted you would come this far. How have you been?"

The cadet smiles. "I-"

"Oh, dear, we've missed you so much," Mrs. McArthur says. "I'm looking forward to having you in my arms more than seeing you with the million dollars, unlike your father here."

Brick grows rosy in the face as he glances at Jo, whose lips tremble. "Um, Mom-"

"I'm looking forward to seeing you just as much as she is," Mr. McArthur says, jerking a thumb at his wife. "She's the one who isn't proud enough of you for what you're about to achieve." She crosses her arms and leans back, tensing her lips.

"There's a chance I'll lose though, Dad."

"Against her?" Brick's father gives Jo a once-over. "You can beat her, son."

"We have faith in you," Brick's mother says, nodding.

Brick waves his head side to side. "You both have more faith in me than I do."

"That's because we know you're a winner!" Mr. McArthur says. "In mind, body, and spirit. You're the glue that holds our family together."

His skin suddenly turns sallow, and he wipes a hand over his mouth as Mrs. McArthur's gaze sears into him. "Did you really just say that out loud?" Their son stares at them, forehead wrinkling.

"I, uh, didn't mean it." Mr. McArthur turns his sights back on Brick. "We wish you the best of luck, son- not that you'll need it." The room disappears in a blaze of static.

Brick blinks twice and lays his hands on the screen, searching for his parents in it. "It's done, Brick," Chris says. "Jo, it's your turn now."

Brick steps back as Jo steps forward, pushing her bangs back. The screen switches to a room painted burnt sienna. A lamp sits on a stand nearby, putting a glow around the seven people on a black leather sofa. The oldest man sits in the middle with the only woman present; five males, ranging from teenager to adult, sit around them. Jo's father wears a blue polo shirt and cargo shorts over weathered tan skin. Her mother has hair like burnished gold and Jo's eye color. Her outfit differs from Jo's as much as possible, lace forming tiers on her wedding-white sundress. All of Jo's brothers are taller than their parents.

"Hi parents, brothers," Jo drones.

Mr. Thomas clears his throat and shuffles in his seat. "Hi J-"

"You actually made it this far?" a boy with sandy blonde hair in a quiff asks, gawping at her. A brown-haired person digs his fist into his head. "Ow!"

"Dad was talking, Pete. Wait your turn." He looks at Jo with lazy blue eyes. "Hey, Short Stuff."

"Mark," Jo says with no intonation.

His left eyebrow raises a fraction. "Dropped the nicknames?"

"Let me have a go, son," Mr. Thomas says. Mark leans back in his seat, eyeing Jo like she is an interesting lab experiment. "Congratulations on making it this far. We're rooting for you, as always."

"Have you made any friends there?" Mrs. Thomas says.

Jo jerks a thumb at Brick. "Not that you'll care, but he's one."

Her features fall. "Oh. Another athletic-boy type."

Brick raises one hand halfway. "Um, nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Hm, at least you seem polite." She turns her gaze to Jo. "More polite than the rest of Jo's friends, anyway."

Mr. Thomas leans forward. "Jo, we have to tell you something. I know what I said about letting you keep the million if you win. The thing is, though, a million dollars is a lot of cash."

Jo's brothers pay full attention to him, as though expecting something good. Jo's expression deconstructs piece by piece. "You're kidding me. This can't be what I think it is. Are you- are you breaking your promise?"

His gaze hardens, not compromising in any aspect. "I never promised you anything, Jo. You can't just keep a million dollars to yourself. You have five brothers here, so you can split it six ways and still have a lot to spare."

"Are you trying to crush my dream, Dad?" Her voice cracks, creating a ripple in her strained-out words. Tears sparkle in her eyes. "You have no idea how much interior decorating, advertisements, and gym equipment even cost! My business is going to _fail!_"

Emotion leaks into his expression and dances around like wildfire. "You're too young to own a business. You're not even in your twenties! What makes you think you can manage more money than Mark or Derek here?"

Jo marches up to the screen. "The fact that I'm smarter than both of them! I-" _Bzz!_ A wall of static replaces the room. She takes a step back, her eyes brightened with white, and whips around to Chris. "I wasn't done!"

"The thirty seconds are, though," he says. "We better get going to the arena now. The losers are all waiting for you, and we need to make your cheer teams."

Chris gets back into his chariot, and Chef pulls him toward the woods. The interns follow, and Brick walks a few steps with them before turning back to Jo with a softened expression. She stays in front of the TV, clenching her hands in and out. "Come on, Jo."

She stares stonily at the TV for a moment, then breaks her gaze away and joins him.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

A stripe of red spans from cheek to cheek, matching the skin around Jo's eyes. She rubs them with the backs of her hands. "Mark, Derek, Brian, Ryan, and Pete- I know you convinced Dad to force me to split the cash, and guess what? You still haven't ruined my accomplishment of doing something that you can't, because you're too old to participate on here. And you're not gonna get any of the money if I win. Oh yes, I'll make sure of it somehow..."

* * *

The group enters a dirt field enclosed by fencing. Nearly the size of a football field, it holds a mountain of junk in the middle with plenty of room to spare. A closed-off platform opposite to the entrance holds three rows of benches where the eliminated contestants sit, as well as a section above that holds a wooden throne.

The audience bursts into a round of applause that is loud from where Jo and Brick are. Brick ducks his head in a half-bow, blushing. Jo's lips tilt into a smile briefly. Staci, Dakota, Sam, Anne Maria, Dawn, and Zoey shout for Brick, while Mike, Cameron, and Lightning do so for Jo. Scott sneers while watching the others, and B holds up a slate that reads, "Go Brick!"

"BRICK'S THE BEST, HE BEATS THE REST!" Sam yells over everyone else.

"JO'S GOT GAME, THE REST ARE LAME!" Lightning hollers.

Sam stares at him, a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, are ya askin' for a cheering match?"

Lightning motions toward himself. "Sha-bring it on, son!"

Jo rolls her eyes as she comes nearby. "You just _have_ to make everything contests, don't you Lightning."

He scoffs. "Like you're one to talk, Jo. You used to compete with me all the time."

"And who started all of those contests?"

"You!... Sometimes."

"A couple times."

"Yeah, yeah."

A smirk slides onto Zoey's face as she looks at Mike beside her. "Are you trying to bait me into arguing about your side?"

"No, no!" Mike chuckles. "You're free to do that, but I really do want Jo to win. She became much nicer during the competition, and to me, that counts for a lot."

"Hey guys!" Cameron says to Jo and Brick, passing a grin fit for the cameras. He gives two thumbs-up.

"Hey Cameron!" Brick says. A second later, his eyes bulge. "Cameron! You're free from your bubble!"

Cameron puffs himself up, as though he has achieved a great victory. "That's right, I am."

Jo raises her thumb at him. "Way to go, Ex-Bubble Boy."

The same fanfare from the cabins plays above the audience, and everyone looks up. Chris sits on his throne as the interns pretend to play trumpets. Within a few seconds, he gets up and turns off the boombox. The interns continue to pretend for a moment before freezing, then lowering their instruments with expressions of loss. Chris stands up. "Finalists, say 'what's up' to your cheering section!"

"We just did that," Jo says.

"Oh. Well..." He crosses his arms. "Did you say 'hi' to all of 'em?"

She snorts. "Does it matter?"

He straightens his back even further. "Yes, it does, in fact. For these losers are going to be split based on whose side they're on. Kicked-out competitors! Choose a side and separate."

Everyone gets up and moves: Staci, Dakota, Sam, Anne Maria, Dawn, B, and Zoey go to the right, while Mike, Lightning, and Cameron take the left side. Scott follows Brick's supporters. "Not that I care for either of you, but Brick is still less annoying than Jo."

"I don't exactly like you either, Fox-Face," Jo snaps. The whole audience smirks at Scott, some more than others, and chuckles arise.

Scott folds his arms, eyes glittering with frost. "Right back at'cha, _She-Male_."

Jo stiffens for a second; her expression falls into calmness. "Like I care."

"Save the hostility for the arena, Jo," Chris says. "And Scott, stick to cheering. On with the main event! The final challenge of the season is: a gladiator battle royale! But first, you'll need to use your imagination to make armor and weapons in a challenge I like to call, 'Make It, or Break It'. You'll need tools and materials to build your armor and weapons, and we've got them right here! You have fifteen minutes to collect useful bits of crud from Mount Junkmore and assemble your arsenal. But watch your step! I may have loaded the dumpster with a ton of booby traps, heheh. And... go!"

The audience roars. Jo dashes toward Mount Junkmore, but Brick only takes one step and stops. His supporters pause in their cheering. "Brick, what are you waiting for?" Sam shouts.

The cadet flinches, conflict flickering in his expression. "I..."

"Come on, you're wastin' time!" Anne Maria yells.

Understanding washes over Dawn's features. "Guys, stop. Brick can't do this."

The rest of Brick's supporters look at her blankly. The confusion on Sam's face breaks a moment later. "You gotta be kidding me."

Jo reaches Mount Junkmore before turning around, her gaze inquiring. Brick turns back to the platform and looks up at Chris. "Chris... I withdraw."

The crowd goes silent.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SAM

"I know Brick has a crush on Jo, but I didn't expect him to just give up!" Sam says, throwing up his arms. "He's made it this far, and I figured he would put aside his feelings for the competition." He shakes his head, as though to ward off misgivings. "Man. I just hope he doesn't get crushed."

* * *

Chris stares at Brick, shuts his eyes three times, then does so a fourth. "Excuse me? Are you forfeiting the finale?"

Jo strides over with a force like a hurricane, churning the air around her. She goes around Brick and faces him abruptly. "What, the, hell, Brick?"

"I'm sorry, Jo," he whispers.

She jerks her head with the force of a ball in a pinball machine. Her thin shield of restraint trembles, showing cracks of anger as pure and concentrated as lightning. "Sorry for what? Backing down for no reason whatsoever? No, I don't understand. You commit a hundred acts of bravery throughout your time here, and you decide to act like a coward _now_?"

"I'm not acting like a coward!" Brick snaps. "I just don't want to hurt you!"

"I don't care if I'm roughed up!" she screams, the last bit of her composure falling away. "You think I haven't physically fought with my brothers before? I'm the exception to your 'don't hit a girl' rule, I can take a punch! Heck, I can take a beat down! This is where you have to put your code aside for once and play for keeps, because _we are in a pure competition!_"

Brick looks at her through eyes filled with quiet sincerity. "You told me that my code can be good in some ways. It may have caused me to give myself up to help others, but it also taught me not to hurt others I care about." He grips both of her shoulders, the thread of focus between their gazes intensifying. "I think I know why you've thrown your whole being into this game, but it's just a _game_. And you're letting it tear you apart."

Jo lets out a bitter laugh, her head numbly moving back and forth. "You talk like I have the choice to stop."

"You do."

"No, I don't." She spins from his arms and walks away, leaving Brick stranded. The eliminated contestants show a spectrum of emotions like a rainbow, from confused to disbelieving to sympathetic to all three.

"We are not making an episode without a finale," Chris says, crossing his arms. "They're what make every season feel complete! So, we'll have to make a new one that you _will_ take part in. Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve, including this." He pulls out a remote with twenty different buttons, all the same size, and presses one.

Two jumbo-sized boxing gloves pop up next to Jo and Brick. **POW!** "AHHHHHH!" the finalists scream as they fly through the air. They crash onto the floor between their separate support groups. "OW!"

_Whirrrrrr!_ The dirt field descends like an elevator, leaving an impenetrable abyss. A football field made of turf slides over the hole until it seems like it was never there in the first place. A glowing scoreboard rises into the sky on one side, casting its shadow across the field. The teens stare, their mouths hanging open in a way that seems unconscious. Lightning's left eye ticks. "Wait a second. This field is way smaller than a regular one!"

Chris grins. "You noticed. See, this field is not for the kind of football you see on TV. It's a _six-man_ football field!" The contestants' features crinkle, as though he just said a foreign phrase. "I know, unfamiliar. That's because it's mainly played in Texas. This field is forty yards wide, eighty yards long."

Lightning folds his arms. "And what are the rules to this kiddie sport? They can't be _that_ different from regular football."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, heheh. We're adding a few alterations though. First, there'll be no kickoff. The team starting with the ball will just have one person run from their endzone, and the defending team will start running from the thirty-yard line."

"What's a kickoff anyways?" Anne Maria says.

"Why, only the most important thing for starting every drive!" Lightning says. "You kick the ball toward the other team! Man, the Lightning loves kicking off, and that's the part Chris gotta take out."

Chris gives him an admonishing look. "Yeah. I was talking, dude. We're taking that part out because we can't trust you amateurs to catch the ball, so there's no punting in this game, period. The second change is..." He raises his hands and slaps them back on his thighs. "Great! Now I lost my train of thought."

"Second change is, the game is going to be measured in six alternating turns instead of quarters," Chef says. The contestants turn around as he walks up, wearing a black and white striped shirt and a matching chef hat.

"Chef! There you are. Guys, Chef is gonna be your referee for this challenge."

"So, we're really all participating in this?" Mike says. "That's new."

"Well, not really," Zoey says. "It does require more physical effort, but the eliminated campers got directly involved in the TDA finale."

"Yeah, but since when do the eliminated campers play on the same level as the finalists? We're all gonna be players here."

She chuckles under her breath. "You just love proving me wrong, don't you?"

He shows the gap in his teeth. "Don't worry, you'll win someday."

"What are the rules besides the alterations?" Dakota asks.

"_Lots_," Chris says. "Six-man football is easier than regular football, but the ways to score points on a drive remain the same. You must try to bring the ball into the opposing team's end zone. You'll have four downs, or tries, to move the ball fifteen yards, NOT TEN. Got that?" The contestants nod, with Lightning screwing his lips tight. "Between each down, you'll have thirty seconds to talk to your team and figure out your next plan of action. If you don't make it by the third down, you'll have the choice to either try to kick a field goal for _four_ points, not three, or try to run it through. But if you don't succeed in making a field goal or making it to your next first down, the ball gets turned over to the other team at your last spot. If you score a touchdown, you can try to earn two extra points by kicking the ball through the goalpost at the seventy-five-yard line, or by bringing it to the end zone again at the same line for one point. As for positions, there must be at least three linemen from each team near where the ball most recently landed."

"You mean the line of scrimmage!" Lightning says.

"Yeah, that," Chris snaps. "Look, there's a ton of rules in football, and I'd really like to just get the ball rolling. So, the last basic rule is that the quarterback can't run the ball past the line of scrimmage. He or she has to pass it on to someone else, or throw it. _Anyone_ can receive the ball, and _anyone_ can retrieve it if a receiver drops it. _Capisce_?"

"Uh, wow, that's a lot of rules," Staci says.

"This ain't actual football, this is a knockoff," Lightning mumbles.

Chris slaps his hands together. "Good! Then let's get this game started."

"Wait a second," Mike says. "Aren't football players supposed to wear a bunch of gear?"

The host snorts. "You actually think we have custom-sized gear for you guys? We weren't even supposed to do this challenge! Jo and Brick, you each get to choose your team members from your support groups. Jo, since you only have three people, you'll just have to accept them and Brick's leftovers. On the bright side, you'll be the one starting off with the ball."

"Great," Jo mutters. "Well, at least I have Lightning and Mike."

"Line up, Brick's groupees!" Chris says.

"I'm not a 'groupee', but the rest are," Scott says.

"Just get ova here, ginger," Anne Maria scoffs. Scott wrinkles his nose at her and struts out of the stand with everyone else. Jo, Mike, Cameron, and Lightning go off to the side as the rest line up in front of Brick.

Brick rests his chin between his thumb and index finger. A few seconds later, he lifts his hand in a finger-gun at B. "I'm surprised I didn't see this before, but you're built like a football player, B!"

The silent genius sprouts a smirk of good nature, scribbles something on his slate, and shows it to him: "I _am_ a football player."

Both Jo's and Brick's eyes turn more alert. "Seriously? Then what are you waiting for, soldier? Come join my team!" B strolls out of the line, high-fiving him as he passes.

Brick returns his attention to the line. "Hm... I think I'll pick Zoey next. Dawn and Dakota, too." The females walk in a cluster to his side, and Sam's expression drops for a second, but switches back to being stoic.

A smile flashes on his face as he glances at Sam. "And my final choice is... Sam, of course."

Sam's face lights up, as though turned on by a switch. As he walks by Brick, he nudges him with his elbow. "You were messing with me, weren't you."

Brick looks at him with eyes brightened by a smile. "Maybe."

Jo eyes Brick with curled eyebrows. "Why didn't you pick stronger people like Scott and Anne Maria? You need strength to win in football."

"You also need proper teamwork," he says. "Even the strongest teams won't play well if they don't get along."

"Oh, sure. Not like you're trying to help me out or anything, because the odds would be _so_ unfair otherwise."

His expressions hardens, a mask of resoluteness. "You know I'm past that stage, Jo. I think you need to talk to someone, because something's clearly bothering you."

"How about refusing to fight me?"

"I didn't want to risk hurting you badly, or worse! We both know what I'm capable of." He hangs his head. "If I were to cause you pain, I- I don't know what I would do. I-" His head turns away. "Forget it."

"You would've been doing me a favor by fighting me, Brick," Jo murmurs, eyes shining clearly. She jogs into the field, her team trailing from behind.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAKOTA

"Did I miss something while I was an intern?" Dakota says. "Because I don't remember Jo and Brick being that... intimate."

* * *

Jo stands in front of her team on the left red endzone. Her eyes sweep over Mike, Scott, Staci, Cameron, Lightning, and Anne Maria. "Alright, this isn't a bad team. It's better than Brick's, at least. Lightning, I'll let you be the quarterback for at least the first quarter."

Lightning throws his fist in the air. "Sha-booyah! I'm the star quarterback of my team back home! This'll be a-"

"Okay, enough bragging, Loudmouth. You'll be the primary receiver of the ball, but if you get cornered, try to pass it to me."

"Sha-please," he scoffs. "Lightning doesn't have to be told what to do. He figured that you'd want to be quarterback though."

"You're probably better than I am at football. I've only played it at home with my brothers."

Lightning stares at her for a moment, blinking intermittently.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"Jo really has changed, huh?" Lightning says. "I was half-convinced that the footage on her was a joke, but it was real! That is, unless she's just doing this to keep me off her back."

* * *

"Mike, you'll be a running back and the third choice for receiver," Jo says. "That should throw off whoever understands football on Brick's team, because they'll expect you to be the first choice."

"Uh, okay. What's a running back?" Mike says.

Lightning face-palms. "Dude, you _run_ with the ball."

"Thanks." He scratches the back of his head and lets out a self-conscious chuckle. "I don't know football all that well."

"We can tell," Jo says. "You might also have to block the other team if one of us gets the ball instead. Cameron, since you lack the strength to block- no offense-"

"None taken," Cameron sighs.

"-you'll be the fourth choice for receiver. Scott and Anne Maria, you'll both be linemen. I'll be in between you guys as the center. Your job is to block the other linemen from the quarterback, or whoever has the ball."

"Should be a cinch, unless we're blocking the mime or the pants-wetter," Scott sneers.

Jo aims her gaze at him like a heat-seeking missile. "Don't make fun of B or Brick, unless you want to be called Carrot Cake for the rest of the challenge." His lips fold into a scowl, but he stays silent. "Staci, you'll be sitting this first turn out."

Staci smiles, her face not moving with her lips. "That's okay. I'm not very good at football anyway. And you think I would be, because my uncle Merlin-"

"No one wants to hear it," Anne Maria says, flipping her eyes to show the whites. Staci shuts her mouth and shrinks in place.

"Try to be nicer, Anne Maria," Jo says. "We're all on the same team here. Alright, everyone, get into a huddle. We need to talk strategy."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo leans against the side of the outhouse, her legs propped up on the toilet. She crosses her arms and stares at the wall. "I feel like I've changed a lot since I came here. I remember initially deciding to be nicer so I could stay in the game, but now... it's kinda more natural. Most people aren't like my brothers here, Brick especially." A shadow runs over her expression. "He didn't deserve my tirade. That video chat is still screwing with my mind. He always tries to do the right thing, and here I am, in the wrong once again. Wondering if being nice was really worth it when my dream's been taken away from me. I really am awful."

* * *

Brick jogs ahead of his team to the blue endzone filling the right end of the field. He stops in the middle and turns around, bracing both hands on his hips and wearing the gaze of a general ready to lead his troops into war. Zoey and Dakota approach him first, followed by B, Dawn, and Sam.

"Alright, troops. We're up against some formidable players, but I have confidence that we can beat them," Brick says. "We have the wits, the strength, and the teamwork to be a great team. So, does anyone have a specific position they want to play in?"

The others watch as B writes furiously on his slate and holds it up. It says "Linebacker" in choppy, slanted letters. A smile pricks onto Brick's face. "That's perfect, B. The position's all yours. Anyone else?"

"I'll be one of the linemen," Sam says. "I know all about tackling people from the NFL All-Stars videogame."

Dakota's eyebrows slope upward. "Are you sure that's a legit source, Sam?"

He shrugs. "Well, it is based on the NFL, right?"

"Just do your best, and we'll go from there," Brick says. "Speaking of knowledge, does anyone else besides B have experience playing football?"

Zoey raises her hand tentatively. "The town where I live is obsessed with the sport. We play it in gym class all the time. I've gotten pretty good by now, I guess."

Brick gives her a keen stare. "Really? What position do you like to play the most?"

She holds her right arm and averts her eyes from him. "Well, all I've ever played is the safety, so I could always do that again."

"If you say so, then sure. But let me know if you ever want to change positions, okay?" Zoey nods, and Brick's attention returns to the rest of the group. "Dawn and Dakota, you two will be line players with Sam and me. We need a well-fortified line against Jo and Lightning, who are practically guaranteed to be front and center. Don't underestimate Mike's speed either- he could easily slip past any of us if we're not careful."

Sam shakes his head wearily. "Look, I don't mean to be a downer, but Jo's team is chock-full of athletes. What chance do we have of beating the three people you just mentioned by themselves?"

Brick wraps an arm around Sam's shoulders like a caring father with his son. "Athleticism isn't everything, Sam. Jo's team has weak points that are just as exploitable as ours, and they'll only be made clearer when the game starts."

"But how do you know the athletes won't just cover them up?"

"That's what I've been working on, and I think I have a good plan now. Gather 'round." The players huddle inward, leaning their heads together while looking at Brick. "So, my guess is that either Jo or Lightning is going to be the quarterback. The person who isn't will likely be near the other. Mike's going to be nearby too, in case they need to make a fast getaway."

Dawn's jaw loosens, as though he just did a back-flip without warning. "Wow. Where is all of this insight coming from, Brick?"

"What can I say? I know Jo by now. She's the type to focus on whatever advantages she has." He punches his throat. "Ahem. Anyway. B, I entrust you with Lightning. Do whatever you can to subdue or close him off." B nods with a cool look in his eyes, twirling his slate on one finger. "I'll handle Jo myself. Dawn, Sam, and Dakota, one of you might end up unoccupied if Jo is at the line. Whoever that is, go for Mike. He'll probably be in a running back or wide receiver position. And this goes for everyone: if it looks like someone is struggling to hold off an opposing team member, go help them."

"But won't we be leaving someone open by doing that?" Sam says.

"Yes, but a person is going to become open either way. Might as well eliminate the bigger threat at that moment. You brought up a good point though- try not to stray from the person you're supposed to block unless you see a clear opportunity. If we leave too many people open, they're going to run away with the ball." Brick salutes and backs out of the huddle, then points his hand at the grass. "Now, move out!" His team jogs in a scattered group toward the center of the field.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"Football's a really popular sport in my cadet school," Brick says. "It supposedly builds strength and character, teaches good teamwork among soldiers, and emphasizes the importance of strategy. I've played it a bit myself, with my fellow cadets." He looks sideways on the floor and releases a sigh without opening his mouth; it comes out as a "hm". "I miss those guys."

* * *

Jo, Mike, Scott, Cameron, Lightning, Staci, and Anne Maria are gathered in a circle, with Lightning draping his arms over Mike's and Cameron's shoulders. They fidget and share the look of two people experiencing the same uncomfortable situation. "Lightning, since you're quarterback, what do you think our signals for each kind of play should be?" Jo says.

"Simple." Lightning holds up one finger. "If I do this, that means I will rush the ball myself. Jo will be the one to pass it to me twice so I can do that. If I hold up two fingers, she'll run with it instead." He crosses his index and middle fingers. "But if I do _this_, I want Mike to get open so I can throw the ball to him. Are you a good catcher, Mike?"

Mike shrugs. "Decent. But I've never really played football before, so..."

"We'll start small. You'll stand diagonally behind me before the play starts, and I'll throw the ball to you as soon as you start running." Lightning's gaze encompasses the rest of the group. "Whoever is left on each play, make sure to protect the people who are involved. Most of the time, I'll want Mike and Cameron on both sides, and Jo and I will take turns passing the ball to each other. The key to our offense is speed and agility, and probably the only member on the other team who can challenge that is Brick, which is why Mike will block him unless I signal otherwise, or Jo and I are in a tight spot. Is everything I said clear?" The team nods. "Good! The last thing we need is a team name that captures our awesomeness. Jo, you can do the honors."

"Hm..." Jo snaps her fingers. "The Wawanakwa Warriors."

"Sha-yeah! Perfect!" Lightning whips his hand into the air. "High-five, everyone! Go Warriors!"

"GO WARRIORS!" everyone except Scott says, hitting their hands together.

"You dorks do realize half of us are rooting for Brick, right?" Scott says. "Don't just assume we're gonna help you win."

"Do you _want_ to be called Carrot Cake for the whole challenge? Because it sounds like you do," Jo snaps.

Scott takes a step toward her. "Yeah? Well, I don't give a crap whether you do or not."

Lightning advances on him, his expression charged like a thundercloud, until only a few inches separate their faces. Scott's eyes widen a fraction. "Have you considered how lucky you are that I didn't lay a hand on you at Playa de Losers? Don't push your luck."

Scott shuffles back a few steps. "Does that go for Staci and Anne Maria too?"

"We don't care about helpin' Jo as much as you do," Anne Maria scoffs. "The person in her place could've been way worse. Like you, for example."

He scrunches his nose and curls his lips back at a wicked angle, as though trying to imitate a beast. "So, we're all ganging up on Scottie now! You guys make such a great team, I don't think I should interfere with the group effort."

Turning on his heel, he marches back toward the spectator stand. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Jo yells.

He turns with a faint sneer and walks backwards. "Remember when I said a million dollars wouldn't help a case like yours? Case proven."

Jo's eyes flash like silver, staring fiercely at Scott's back. Her knuckles crack as she forms two fists. "You're up, Staci," she mutters.

Staci nods, her mouth firmly shut. The Warriors line up on the edge of their endzone with Lightning in the middle. Chef comes up and hands him the football. Further back, Dawn, Sam, Brick, and Dakota stand with their knees bent behind the thirty-yard line. B positions himself several yards back, with Zoey twice as far away.

"Hey, did you hear the name Jo's team made up?" Sam says. "Maybe we should make one too. Since we're the underdogs, we could be the Underground Soldiers."

Brick claps once and points at him. "Oh, I know! We'll be the Underground Militia."

"Nice one, bro!"

Sam and Brick share a high-five. "All I did was bring your idea up a level," Brick chuckles.

Sam looses a casual chuckle in return. "Well, you're the expert with military vocab, not me."

"Chef's gonna blow the whistle! That's when the game starts," Chris shouts. He nods to Chef on the side of the field, who raises his whistle to his lips and blows. _**TWEEEEEET!**_

The Warriors and the Militia sprint toward each other, feet pounding on the grass. Lightning pedals ahead of the group, Mike passing him on his left. Jo takes his other side. Zoey hangs back at the twenty-five-yard line. Lightning runs fifteen yards before Brick engages him, but he feints left and maneuvers around Brick on the right. B slides in front of him, and Lightning leaps back in his shadow. "AH!" **THUMP!** B slams him down and gets back up, dusting his hands. Chef blows his whistle: **_TWEET!_**

"Excellent work, B!" Brick says, exchanging a high-five with him.

Sam, Dawn, Zoey, and Dakota walk up and praise B, who nods and smiles like he is used to it. "Wow, B. You've played football for six years?" Dawn says. He nods once and pretends to throw a football.

Jo and Mike run to Lightning and reach for his arms, but they rise with the palms up. "Don't help me. I'm-" He sits up and winces- "fine."

"Please tell me you don't have any broken bones," Jo says.

Mike grimaces. "Yeah, that looked like it hurt. B's much better than we thought."

Lightning rises to his feet, eyes gleaming like steel. "Yeah, well, he's still not better than me. Two can play at this game." As Staci, Cameron, and Anne Maria arrive, he gestures everyone to gather in a circle and lowers his voice to a whisper. "Change of plans." He holds up two fingers. "This, and I'll block B myself. Football player against football player."

Mike nods at him. "Good luck."

"Thanks." The team breaks up and gets back into position.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

Lightning rubs the back of his head. "Man, I remember feeling like the worst person ever when I found out about Mike's disorder. I mean, I didn't know, but hiding his DID and enduring my aggression towards him must've really sucked. At least he was nice about it when I apologized... but yeah, that made me feel even worse."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: MIKE

"I felt pretty terrible when I saw the truth behind Lightning's 'theft'," Mike says. "Guilty for voting him off and stripping him of his chance for the million, and pissed that I let Scott mess with my head _again_. Seriously, how many times can I fall for his scheming? God. I'm never listening to that snake again." **[1]**

* * *

Jo holds the football vertically on the ground, with Lightning behind her. Mike stands behind him on his left, and Cameron on his right. Staci and Anne Maria occupy each side of Jo. "Hut... Hut... Hut... Hike!" She throws the ball under her legs to Lightning, who passes it to her as she runs forward. Sam, Dawn, B, Brick, and Dakota all run toward her at once. Mike crosses behind Jo and intercepts Brick, struggling to hold him off as she passes them.

Anne Maria runs toward Dawn, who immediately stops. The former falters. "Um, do you want me to tackle ya?"

Dawn holds her arms out to the sides, shutting her eyes. "If you must. I won't fight against you though."

"You expect me to touch ya when you're givin' yourself up? Doll, it's just a_ game_."

"Yes, a game that involves violence. I don't wish to get involved in that aspect."

"Whateva, girl," Anne Maria sighs, turning back to Jo.

As Jo flees sideways from B ahead of Anne Maria, Lightning throws himself at B and engages in a grappling match. Cameron pushes against Sam behind them, but trips and falls as Sam escapes to the side. Staci takes Cameron's place and enters a struggle with Sam; Cameron jumps back up and blocks him alongside her. Running all the way to the twenty-yard line without interference, Dakota lunges at Jo from the side and grabs her left leg, making her stumble. "What the-" She staggers forward, dragging Dakota on her knees.

"Hey! Can you- at least let me- stand up?" Dakota grunts, her fingertips turning white.

"Once you stop clinging to me like a leech," Jo snaps, pulling her left leg forward with extra force.

Dakota flops onto the ground, her hands slipping to Jo's ankle. "Ow! Rude!"

"Don't treat my girlfriend that way!" Sam yells, rushing at Jo from behind. She only has time to widen her eyes before he smashes into her, sending them flying onto the twenty-five-yard line. **_TWEET!_**

Dakota gets on her feet and dusts off invisible dirt on her pants. "Thanks, Sam. I was worried these pants would get grass-burn."

Jo rolls her eyes as Sam gets off of her. "No problem! And sorry if I hurt you, Jo. I got a little passionate there, heh."

"Aww..." Dakota walks up to Sam and smooches one of his cheeks, creating a flush. "You're the sweetest."

Jo puts her hands up and backs away. "Don't let me get in the way of you lovebirds." She turns around to see Lightning jogging toward her. "Good job blocking B. I thought I was gonna get the same treatment you did."

He stops in front of her. "Yeah, right. No one gets past the Lightning!" The rest of the Warriors gather around, and he makes his voice quiet. "Same play again."

"Won't that be predictable?" Cameron whispers.

"Yeah, but Dawn isn't even tryin' to tackle," Anne Maria scoffs. "If we each block everyone else, Jo should be good."

He stares at her as though she said something shocking beyond belief. "Seriously? Why?"

"Doesn't matter why," Lightning says. "You all know what to do already. Let's go." The Warriors walk back to their positions, Cameron craning his head back to look at Dawn.

Brick walks up to Sam and gives him two meaningful pats on the back. "That was a stunning tackle you did, private! All that videogame playing must've helped after all."

"Yup! Videogames have taught me many life skills," Sam chuckles. He turns to the camera. "What you saw just now, viewers, was proof that videogames are _not_ a waste of time. They're a learning experience."

Brick shines Dakota a jovial grin as she approaches. "You did great too, ma'am. Sam wouldn't have been able to tackle Jo without you."

Dakota examines her legs. "Yeah, well, my favorite pair of jeans would've been ruined without him. She still managed to make it ten yards."

The cheerfulness fades from his face, bringing it back to "game mode". He waits a few seconds until B and Zoey arrive, then talks in a hushed tone. "We need to do something about that. But not yet. Let them pass the thirty-yard line with as little extra yards as possible, and I'll tell you my plan from there."

Everyone except Zoey nods and turns away. "Wait, guys." They pause and look at her, and she gazes at Dawn steadily. "Dawn needs to say something."

Dawn sucks in her bottom lip as all eyes turn to her. "... I can't participate while we're all playing defense. I... I can't use physical force against other people."

"You don't have to hurt anyone, Dawn," Zoey says gently. "But Brick's chance to win the million rides on all of us. Don't you want to do whatever you can to help?"

B is writing on his slate as she speaks. After she finishes, he holds it up: "It's okay. We'll make do." The lower half of Dawn's face smiles, the rest etched with tension.

"Your thirty seconds are almost up, Brick's team!" Chris shouts.

"Do whatever feels comfortable to you, Dawn," Brick says. She bounces her head, and the Militia spreads back out on the field.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: SCOTT

Scott shakes his head and clicks his tongue, crossing his arms together. "I can't believe the self-proclaimed jockette got dragged down by a nerd and his girlfriend. I could do way better than her out there- not that any of the Weeweenakwa Warriors care. I'm as planted on the ground as the crops back home." He smiles, his lips stretching far and thin to form something unnatural. "But if I'm not gonna play the overly-glorified sport of football, I might as well have a little fun."

* * *

"Hut... Hut... Hike!" Jo tosses the ball up to Lightning, who throws it right back at her. Brick and Sam jump out of the way as B sprints up the middle. Jo goes backward as Lightning goes forward and engages B. As he drives B to the left side, Jo runs to the right. Sam follows her, but is quickly stopped by Staci.

Dakota and Anne Maria struggle against each other next to the line of scrimmage. "Wow, Blondie. You're stronger than I thought!" Anne Maria says.

"Call me Dakota," the other girl says, gritting her teeth.

Dakota tries to move to the side, but Anne Maria moves with her. "Ya know, Dakota, I thought you wouldn't want to be rough. You used to be a priss, no offense."

The corners of Dakota's lips tilt up, changing her mouth to a grin. "So did you."

She pushes extra hard, and Anne Maria takes a step back. "Eh, maybe. Not that I care to rememba."

As Dawn jogs in Jo's general direction, Cameron comes up behind her. "Dawn, why aren't you chasing Jo? Is this a strategy of some sort?"

"No, Cameron," she sighs. "I just don't want to play, that's all. You can go ahead of me."

"Why don't you tell Chris then?"

"My team needs me for offense when the time comes. I wouldn't mind being a receiver of some sort... at least, not as much."

As Jo hones in on the thirty-yard mark, Brick streaks toward her with Mike on his tail. The latter catches up on Brick's left and blocks his way. "Lightning tell you to block me?" Brick grunts.

"Yep."

"Smart." He jumps forward, causing Mike to lean left, and whips around his other side. As Jo reaches the thirty-yard line, he hugs her around the waist and pulls her down with him, landing them on their sides. _**TWEET!**_

Scott lets out a wolf-whistle, making them jump. "Yeah, Brick! You've been wanting to do that for a while, haven't you?"

Jo's eyes pop open wide. Brick flinches off of her like she is on fire, red blooming on his face. "W-what? No!"

Jo springs to her feet. "Chris, can you kick Scott out of here? My team is better off without him."

"Eh, not like he did anything wrong," Chris says, leaning back in his throne. Scott smirks.

"He just made a crude comment!"

"As long as he doesn't interrupt the actual game, he can say whatever he wants."

Jo makes a noise between a growl and a scoff. Brick taps her shoulder, and she turns. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" he murmurs.

"No." She gives an exaggerated shake of her head. "I don't get how you're okay with tackling me. Is there an exception to your code or something?"

"Nope. I just learned how to tackle while keeping most of the impact to myself."

"Typical," she deadpans, and walks off. Brick blinks and scratches his head, looking after her.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: BRICK

"I assigned myself to Jo to make up for not fighting her," Brick says. "I feel like I just upset her again though. Does she _want_ me to hurt her?"

* * *

Brick gathers with his team beyond the thirty-yard line. He rubs a hand down his face, still flushed, and pinches his chin. "Okay. We're going to give the Warriors a little surprise now. It's risky, but essential for keeping them from gaining another first down. Everyone except me and Zoey is going to rush Lightning the moment the play starts. Dawn, even you can contribute by pretending to join in so he's more startled. I'll be keeping watch over Jo and Mike in case they try to make a pass play. Zoey, we'll be depending on you if one or both gets past."

"Phew!" Zoey says. "Finally, something to do, I hope... uh, wait. I hope I _don't_ have to do anything due to them not getting far."

Brick's unibrow twitches up. "You sure you don't want to switch positions?"

She flaps her hand forward. "Nah, I'm used to this. Don't worry about me."

"If you're sure." Brick turns back to the rest of the team. "Jo's team is good at blocking, but a rush is something they won't see coming. Run as fast as you can, and move out!" The team scatters.

The Warriors gather in a huddle, Lightning putting his arms around Jo and Mike. "Time to try something new," he murmurs. "I'm gonna pass the ball to Jo again, but this time, she's gonna pass it right to Mike, who'll run along the left edge of the field." The two mentioned jerk their heads, and the team breaks up.

As Lightning bends down behind Jo, the Militia glances at him. The players shift their gaze, but the linemen's feet point toward him, as if pinpointing their next destination. He widens his eyes and whispers, "Crap. Everyone up front, cover me." The linemen- Jo, Staci, and Anne Maria- look at him quizzically.

Jo holds the football on the ground. "One... Zero..." The opposing players give each other what's-going-on looks. "Eighty-six... Twenty-three..."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

"Ah, I sure love throwing people off with that trick," Jo says, leaning into a side of the stall. "Make them think you're telling your team the next play, when you're really just shouting meaningless numbers. Lightning needed the help anyway- he figured out what the Militia was trying to do, apparently, so might as well mess with their heads a little."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

"Yeah yeah, I know I said most plays would be passes between me and Jo, but I always do this," Lightning says. "Change it up at the beginning so that the other team feels intimidated. I'd change it even more if any of my teammates knew football as well as I do. Man, if I had my team of brothers with me, we'd blow Brick's team out of the water!"

* * *

"Hike!" B, Sam, Dawn, and Dakota merge their paths together in a wall toward Lightning. Jo, Staci, and Anne Maria gather in front of him as he runs backwards, holding B, Sam, and Dakota back respectively.

Sam stares as Lightning takes a step toward Mike, who runs to the edge of the field. "They found out!"

"_How?_" Dakota yelps.

"I have no clue!"

Lightning snaps the ball at Mike. It bounces out of his hands, but he snatches it from the air and bursts into sprinting as Brick hones in on him. Mike cuts away from the edge at a 45-degree angle just before Brick springs, causing him to stagger to a pause. All of the linemen follow, the Warriors sticking their arms out to impede the Militia. Zoey bends forward as Mike runs in a diagonal line toward her right. She explodes on foot when he nears the forty-five yard line, streaking toward him with the precision of a guided missile.

"Whoa!" He curves outward, initiating a chase along the boundary line with Zoey hot on his heels. She closes the gap and throws her whole body into him, pushing them onto the forty-five yard line. _**TWEET!**_

Mike flips onto his back as Zoey pulls herself off him, still leaning toward his face. Her lips tip into a small smirk as she heaves through her nose. "Thought you were faster than that, Flash."

Mike's grin twitches in and out. "I'm tired," he says mid-breath, wiping his forehead and sitting up. Zoey leans back. "Brick's been making me work hard."

She tucks her legs underneath her. "I bet."

His eyes meet hers closely. "What are you doing back here? You should be at the front. You're really good."

An eyebrow arches on her forehead. "You got that from one encounter?"

"I liked _you_ from one encounter." He wiggles his eyebrows, as if to emphasize his point.

She snickers. "That's a lie, and you know it."

"And that's a truth, though I wish it wasn't."

Bending downward, her lips brush against his. She straightens and stands up. "Well, we can't always have what we want."

Mike does the same, but unsteadily. "Darn it, why do you keep surprising me with those?"

"I have to gain points over you somehow, don't I?"

"Yeah, but kisses are worth way more than debates."

"Really? Seems debatable to me," Zoey chuckles.

Lightning comes between them and taps his wrist. "Uh, kinda on a time limit here, bro."

"See ya, Zoey." Mike leaves with Lightning, and Zoey gives a small wave and a smile to match.

Dawn passes them and runs up to her. "Great job, Zoey!"

Zoey looks back at their endzone. "Thanks. We're in trouble now, though. They're past the halfway mark."

Brick comes up with the rest of the team, his expression a bleak desert. "This one's on me. I'm sorry, guys. I'm not used to being in charge in football."

"Hey, don't worry about it, man!" Sam says, swinging one arm around his shoulders. "We still have a chance, don't we?"

The sound of marker squeaking on board ensues, and everyone turns to B. After several more seconds of writing, he holds his slate up. Dots mark each of the Militia's positions as well as the Warriors'. Lines are drawn straight from Sam, Dawn, and Dakota to Jo, Staci, and Anne Maria. Brick's path curls behind the linemen and leads up to Mike, Zoey's goes directly to the right of the linemen with branches to Cameron and Lightning, and the longest line snakes from B to the left side of the field, up along it, and back to Lightning.

"You're trying to make a forced rush on Lightning's part," Brick murmurs. "... While occupying the offensive linemen. You've switched our linemen's target. The person who tackles Lightning will either be you or Zoey."

B writes on the bottom of the slate, "Probably me."

Brick turns to the others. "Is everyone good with this?" They nod and murmur their consent. "Good. It looks like a promising plan- let's just hope we can pull it off."

Dawn gives him a swift salute, and everyone stares at her. "You know, Brick, one of the best virtues a leader can have is the ability to know when to let someone else take charge."

A smile reaches into his eyes. "Thanks, Dawn."

"Hey, Brick's team! Did you know there's a penalty if you don't get back on time?" Chris shouts.

The Militia immediately runs back to the line of scrimmage, where the Warriors wait. Jo positions the ball on the ground. "Hut... Hut... Hike!" She tosses it to Lightning and breaks to her right as he aims toward her. Sam chases her while Dakota and Anne Maria clash together. Staci stands in front of Dawn, her gaze darting between her and the other linemen.

Mike runs forward a few steps, but Brick confronts him and moves in any way he does. He blinks, as though not quite registering this change of events. "You're trying to block _me_ now?"

Brick pops his shoulders up. "Apparently."

Jo and Zoey weave around each other toward the fifty yard line, the latter trying to block the former. Lightning grits his teeth and turns to Mike, only to see Brick covering him. "Snap!" He glances at Cameron, wide open and ahead of the struggling linemen, before running the ball to the right of them. B charges toward him. "_Snap!_" He doubles back and sprints toward the other side, eyeing Jo fervently. She circles back from the fifty yard line in front of Zoey, and Lightning chucks the football at her. Catching it, she runs a few steps before Zoey knocks her down. **_TWEET!_**

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: LIGHTNING

Lightning grips his head and looks around the stall wildly. "_What_ _the heck_ is going on?"

* * *

The Warriors huddle away from the fifty-yard line. "Jo only made it three yards, thanks to a new strategy Brick's team made up," Lightning hisses. "We need to find a solution to it quickly."

His teammates stand in a silence like fog for a moment. Cameron fingers his chin. "The people near the line came right toward us this time," Staci says, knitting her eyebrows together. "Maybe they were trying to distract us?"

"Yeah, but from what?" Mike says.

Cameron lifts his fingers away and snaps them. "The stronger players. B, Brick, and Zoey stuck to the outside to block runs and passes at the same time. The outskirts are our weak point. We keep heading toward the center without anyone protecting the runner far out."

Jo pulls her lips sideways. "Dang. Either Brick is a master football strategist, or he's been taking tips from B."

"I bet it's the second choice," Lightning says, his voice low and aggressive. "No one has beaten Lightning at his own game, and he won't either. I'll make sure of it. Here's the plan: we're all gonna run in a "v" formation, with Mike at the head, and Jo and me surrounding him. If some of us fall out, so be it. But we need to let the other team know our weaknesses can't stop us."

"Speaking of weaknesses," Jo says, "how did you pick up on them, Cameron?"

"I've had time to observe," he replies with a measured tone of voice. He looks at Lightning, whose eyes flick away.

"God, I just hope I don't get rammed into," Mike says, rubbing his arms. "I've never felt what it's like to be tackled before."

Lightning waves a dismissive hand. "It's painful without gear, but you'll get over it."

"Um..."

"Let's move!" Lightning runs to the line of scrimmage with the rest of the team following, and Mike joins in a bit later.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

"My team's lack of attention to the edges is a minor weakness compared to our reliance on Jo, Mike, and Lightning," Cameron says. "Of course, I'm not depending on Lightning to listen to me on that point..." His face scrunches up, as though he smells a disgusting odor. "You see, this is exactly why I hate sports. The athletes call all the shots, while the rest are left to be ignored or humiliated. No consideration is given to them whatsoever, so why force them to play?" He takes a deep breath, and his expression settles. "But I'm done trying to prove myself. I am. If my team decides to hear me out more, so be it. If this is the only time they do so... then so be it."

* * *

The Militia form a circle, and Brick pats B's back. "Your plan worked brilliantly, soldier! Even with the pass, it was flexible enough to succeed. I think it's best if we leave you in charge of defense for now."

B bobs his head "yes" and writes on his slate, showing it a few moments later. "Jo/Mike/Lightning will likely make a drive through the middle next."

Sam furrows his eyebrows and squints. "What makes you say that?"

B writes a reply: "To eliminate our pass blocking." He scrubs the board clean with his hand and draws a player outline once more, flipping it toward his team. Sam, Dakota, and Dawn are all connected to Jo, Mike, and Lightning. Brick's and B's paths lead backwards to opposite ends of the field at a 45-degree angle from the offensive linemen. Zoey's position remains in the far-out middle, almost aligning with Brick's and B's. The Militia analyzes the drawing briefly before setting out with a resolute air.

Lightning bends his knees further as they come, face creased with hard lines. He and Jo look at each other and nod tersely before she positions the football at the forty-eight-yard mark. "Hut... Hut... Blue... Hut... Green... Hut... Hike!" The ball flies into Lightning's hands. It passes to Mike the moment he gets close, and Jo and Lightning flank him as they all run. All of the defensive linemen besides Brick launch straight at them, Staci and Anne Maria parting from the front. Jo and Lightning take their place, pushing into Sam and Dakota. Dawn immediately backs away as her two peers are forced to opposite sides. Mike falls behind Staci, Cameron and Anne Maria as B, Brick, and Zoey zone in. As B and Brick swiftly outmaneuver Staci and Cameron, Anne Maria forces Zoey off to the side. Mike speeds through the open path like a runner sped forward on a video, B and Brick close behind his back. "RUN, MIKE, RUN!" Jo yells. **[2]**

Air flies in and out of Mike's mouth as fast as his legs, pumping past the eighty-yard line. B makes a dive, but falls short. Brick and Mike run with equal amounts of vigor, although the latter starts to lose speed. Brick covers the one-yard gap between them inch by inch, blowing wind through his teeth and chopping the air with his arms. Just as Brick is about to close the gap, Mike puts on a boost of speed at the ninety-yard mark and breaks away from him.

"COME ON! YOU'RE GONNA MAKE IT!" Lightning screams with a gruff tone, similar to a bear's.

"TACKLE HIM, BRICK!" Sam screams with a higher growl. The Warriors' and Militia's cheers fill the entire arena, becoming indistinguishable from each other.

"Gah!" Mike slows down to a near-jog, tilting his head up in a gasp. Brick closes in on him, the energy also fading from his sprint. On the final two yards, he reaches out and grabs Mike's sides. Pushing off from his feet, both males tip forward near the blue endzone. Mike throws his arms out while grasping the football, falling in midair. His hands land just beyond the endzone line as Brick lands on top of him.

_**TWEET!**_ Chef runs to the scene, scrutinizes it, and raises his arms straight up in a signal for a touchdown. The Warriors cheer loud enough to compete with an audience of a hundred. Brick and Mike open their eyes. "Aww..." Brick sighs. "I was hoping to defeat you this time." **[3]**

Mike jumps off of him with his hands up, letting the football bounce. "Hey, if you win this challenge, consider me defeated."

He staggers toward the other Warriors as they approach, breathing heavily. Lightning leaps around him and claps him on the back, nearly sending him down again. "_Dude!_ You were a freaking cheetah out there! Hell, you were running almost at Lightning speed!"

Mike manages a quick smile before it sags, and Cameron gives him a high-five. "Didn't know you had it in you, Mike. You must be exhausted."

He swings his head side to side and wheezes out laughter. "Oh, I am."

Jo puts her hands on her hips, eyeing him carefully. "Actually, you look completely winded. I think you need to be benched for a while."

"Nah, I'm okay." He teeters as he tries to take a step, and Jo and Lightning set him back on balance. "Yeah. I need to sit down."

Lightning pulls his hands back, eyes bulging out of their sockets. "Aw, crap! Scott's in now! He's gonna botch our whole game up."

"You threatened him not to, remember?" Jo says. "And he's too much of a coward to risk that being a bluff. What's more concerning is the question of whether he's good. You can't only botch a football game on purpose."

"Psht. Even if he is any good, it's not like he's gonna try," Lightning scoffs. "Can someone besides me get him?"

The Warriors do not move or speak. After a few seconds, Staci breaks the silence. "I'll go... I guess."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: STACI (The Compulsive Liar)

"Wow, I've never been here before!" Staci says, looking around. "It's not as nice as I thought, but oh well." She lowers her eyes from the camera. "I've accepted that the people here don't like me. It's not anything new, to be honest. And I know my lies aren't the best, either, but it's not easy coming up with them on the spot. I lose track, I'm only human. But lying makes me more interesting, so that's a plus."

* * *

The Militia drifts in a cluster to Brick, who walks up and plants himself in front of his team. "Don't linger on this, guys, we all did great. We're more than warmed-up to play offense now, aren't we? And Jo's team will have to defend against _us_ now."

"Yeah, after Jo or Lightning kicks an extra two points for their team," Dakota says, capturing the negative air swirling around her teammates in her voice.

He stares at her, his eyes even night sky. "Things may not be looking up right now, but if we don't believe that they will soon, they won't. Our victory will be earned with hope, hard work, and a bit of luck- or it won't be at all. I believe in each and every one of you. If I didn't, I would've strictly chosen the best athletes. But what we have is more important: a sense of unity. We all work as one, not as a fragmented group with a few key players and troops left over. I bet all of my cards that the cracks in Jo's team are going to split open when they enter defense, thanks to that."

"You've changed, Brick," Dawn says, breathiness coloring her tone. "You would've surely been disheartened by failing to stop Mike before."

"Being here has been a life-changing experience for me," he chuckles. "Whether we win or not, for my time on Total Drama, I'll always be thankful."

Sam slings an arm around him and shakes him in a half-embrace, raising grins from both of them. Zoey looks to her right, blinks, and turns around. "Hey, guys, look."

The team looks at the seating section off the right side of the field. Scott and Mike pass each other in the side entrance to it, briefly exchanging cold glares. Scott walks a good distance from Staci as they head back to their team near the endzone. "This should help us a bit, but Mike seemed too tired to keep running anyway," Brick says.

His teammates raise their eyebrows in unison. "Dude, do you seriously have no idea what Scott has done?" Sam says.

"Um, no, not really." He itches the back of his neck. "Not at all, actually."

"Wow, you're probably the only one!" Dakota says. "You need to watch the footage whenever you can- it has all sorts of dirt on him."

B raises his slate with a deadpan look: "He gives even dirt a bad name." Dawn twitches her mouth, but does not speak.

"Last time I'm warning Brick's team to _get their butts over here!_" Chris yells.

"Coming!" Brick shouts, jogging back towards the Miltia's endzone. The rest of his team follows hastily.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: DAWN

Dawn has her legs crossed, tapping the foot that is on the ground. "I wanted to say something when my team was talking about Scott, but it probably wouldn't have amounted to anything. How could I tell them to try to sympathize with his hidden struggles? He did bring their hostility toward him on himself, and he should take responsibility." She bends forward and cups her hands around her face. "I can't shake off the feeling that shunning him is the wrong thing to do, however. But I would rather go home than try to talk to him at this point. In fact, I'm waiting to see something occur here, and not Brick or Jo winning. Cameron doesn't know it yet, but the notes from his notepad are going to do _wonders_ for the animals on this island. I hope he didn't mind some pages missing when I gave his notepad back."

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: CAMERON

Cameron fingers through his notepad on his lap. "Ahh, I sure missed having this. Wonder what Dawn wanted with it?" He arrives at a section where a chunk of papers have been ripped out, and his eyes round out. "Er... I think this might've been where my notes on mutant animals were. She could've just told me if she wanted them."

* * *

Jo kneels on the seventy-five yard line, with Lightning standing five yards back. Brick's team is lined up behind the line to their endzone, and Jo's team stands on the other side. Anne Maria holds the ball on the grass. "Hut, whateva. Hike!" She throws it under to Jo, who positions it sideways as Lightning runs forward. Scott steps back as Cameron, Staci, and Anne Maria struggle to hold off Zoey and Dakota. B, Brick, and Sam maneuver around them and zero in on Lightning as he kicks the ball up. It sails through the goal post, and Chef raises both arms up while standing in front.

B, Brick, and Sam stagger and lose their balance, toppling Lightning over. They scramble back onto their feet, and Lightning jumps up as though unaffected by his fall. He punches the air. "Sha-boo-yeah! Number one kicker in high school strikes again!"

"Are you also number one for biggest bragger?" Scott says.

Lightning wiggles a finger at him. "You shut up."

The Militia form a huddle inside their endzone, gathering more tightly than before. "Alright, now is the time where we fight back," Brick whispers. "I'll be planning out our offense. Sorry, B. I want to be the most responsible for whether I win the million or not, but I'll share it with you all if we win. After all, this has been a team effort."

Like rays of sunshine, grins appear throughout his team. Dawn does a tiny clapping motion. "On behalf of us all, Brick, thank you!"

"Wow! You really don't want to save it or anything?" Zoey says.

"To be honest, I'm not interested in becoming a millionaire," Brick says with a slight chuckle. "I'll just use the money for... something, and that's it. But anyway, back to the game. Zoey, you'll be a running back, and Dawn, can you be one too?"

Dawn shrugs. "Well, I wouldn't have partaken in this show if I wasn't prepared for possible injury."

"Good to hear. B and Sam will be linemen, and I'll try my best to be quarterback. Dakota, would you mind being center?"

Dakota points at herself. "Me? Uh, sure. Not that I've ever had center experience before, though."

"You'll be fine," Brick says with a comforting smile. "You'll all do fine. I know I'm not the best leader, but I'll do my best to lead you all."

"No one's that good on their first try," Dawn says. "You'll learn from your mistakes and do great, knowing you."

B scribbles on his slate and shows it to Brick: "Focus on the other team's weaknesses, and you'll be golden."

The corners of his eyes go up. "Thanks, guys. Here's what we're gonna do: I'm going to run the ball as far as I can, and Dawn, you'll run off to the side. Sam and Dakota, you'll be responsible for stopping anyone from interfering when I pass the ball to Dawn. Basically, move anyone that's in her way. B and Zoey, you'll make sure no one tackles me before I get the chance to throw. Now, move out!"

Sam whips his hand to his forehead in a salute. "Yes sir!" The rest of the team follows his motion, and Brick freezes, blinking for a moment before saluting them back. They all head out.

The Warriors fidget as they come close together, none of them looking like they want to be around each other. "Well, Mike's out for now, but that won't stop us from kicking butt," Lightning says. "We're off to a great start, and I think we can hold off the other team too." He draws his arms from Cameron and Staci and punches his palm. "All we need is _teamwork_. I-" Cameron stifles a snort, and Lightning turns his eyes on him. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Cameron says. "Just that you decided to mention teamwork after ignoring half of our team."

"I didn't ignore anyone! What are you even talking about?"

"We all were eligible receivers!" Cameron snaps, his voice harsh as slamming keys on a piano. "You really think you can get away with having only half of us play against Brick, of all people?"

Lightning scoffs. "You need to face the facts, little guy. I'm aware that you've done some admirable things on this show, but this is football! Brains are needed to strategize, but when it comes down to the playing field, athleticism triumphs over all. And I'm not even gonna point out the obvious in your case- you're smart enough to know that yourself."

Jo steps in, parting the males with her hands. "Look, we don't have time for this! Keep your testosterone to yourselves. I'm gonna assign the positions right now, before we waste any more time. Lightning, you're gonna be our safety."

His jaw drops like a stone. "Sha-_what?_"

"You heard me. The outskirts are our weak point, so you need to cover it up." Cameron's whole face slackens as she speaks, and she gives him a glimpse of a smile. "I'll be our linebacker, and the rest of you are gonna be linemen. Our first strategy? In four words, man-to-man defense. Lightning, since you did a good job of blocking B before, you'll be blocking him again. Since I'm the only other person able to keep up with Brick, I'll cover him."

"Please," Scott scoffs, crossing his arms. "You just wanna spend more time with him."

"Shut it, Redneck," she growls. "Unless you want to block him instead and look worse than you do already. Otherwise, you'll be defending Sam." He flips his eyes up, but does not respond. "Cameron is with Dawn, Staci is with Dakota, and Anne Maria is with Zoey. Got it?" Everyone nods, and she waves them toward the middle of the field. "Let's go!"

As the teams position themselves on the field, Chris stands up and puts his arms out to the side. "Stop!" Everyone looks up, clearly unprepared for Chris's outburst. "We're stopping this game right now! It's getting so boring, my brain has become numb. You guys spend way too much time talking. So, I've thought of a way to bring the original, more awesome challenge back in without Jo and Brick pummeling each other. All losers, get off the field."

The eliminated contestants look around at each other, suddenly seeming like a stranded group in the desert. "Bye, Brick," Dawn says, backing toward the audience platform.

"See ya," Sam says, following her. Brick waves to them as well as B and Dakota while squinting his eyes, as though trying to understand what is going on. He looks at Jo inquiringly a few yards away, and she jerks her shoulders up.

Chris pulls out a remote with a single red button and clicks it. A rectangular spot in the middle of the field sinks into blackness, returning a moment later with a cage crammed with mutant animals: Fang, a fly, a turtle, a beetle, three beavers and gophers each, and the reason for the cage being as tall as a three-story house, Larry. The animals join their complaints in an unearthly uproar that sends ripples throughout the stadium, making the cage quiver.

Jo and Brick stand petrified, like their worst nightmares have come true. The eliminated contestants boggle at the scene. Dawn ducks away and covers her eyes. "I can't look."

"In case you haven't guessed, these are your new opponents," Chris says with a twisted smile. "Brick, throw the ball to Chef, will ya?"

Brick blinks at the football in his hands. He tosses it to Chef on the edge of the field. Chef looks at Chris with both eyebrows raised. "Chef, put the ball right in the middle, next to the mutants."

He jogs to the center of the field and places the ball on the forty-yard line, peeking sideways at the cage. Backing away quickly, he returns to the edge. "We're gonna let these critters out, and you two will have to fight your way through them to the center," Chris says.

Mike jumps up. "Whoa, wait! Are you trying to _kill_ Jo and Brick? This isn't even insane, it's psychotic!"

Lightning follows his motion. "Yeah! You expect us to watch them get maimed? No freaking way!"

Chris looks down on them as though they are two especially annoying subjects in his court. "Sheesh, will you let me explain their mode of attack or what?" They sit down. "As I was saying, once either Jo or Brick reaches the middle first, they will have to punt the ball forty yards through their goalpost. If they don't make it, they will have to go all the way back, retrieve the ball, and try to punt it again while the other person gets to grab a new ball at the center. So, you really want to make it. As for your weapons-" He presses his remote again, and two new holes open up on the endzones. Piles of just about everything metal and wooden rises out of them. "Take your pick. You have thirty seconds before I release the beasts!"

Jo and Brick split off in opposite directions. The crowd roars and hollers, creating a cacophony of desperate cheers. "Grab a shield, made out of metal!" Staci shouts.

"Find hairspray! It works great against people!" Anne Maria yells.

"How about mutants?" Scott sneers.

She swivels toward him. "How should I know?"

Brick stops at his blue endzone, his eyes darting wildly over the pile. He grips his head with both hands. "Think, think!" A red gleam in the middle catches his eye, belonging to a flamethrower with a tube attached. "Aha!"

Jo takes out a metal bat from her pile on the red endzone, thumping it on her palm. "Easiest choice ever." She looks up at a navy baseball helmet wedged behind a chair. "I'm completely gearing up for the wrong sport, but oh well."

Chris turns to the camera. "Will both finalists make it out of the field alive, or will they become the mutants' next meal? More importantly, who will go home with a million dollars? The final conclusion when we come back, on Total. Drama. Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

**COMMERCIAL [4]**

Chef is shown from the waist up as he stands in front of a yellow background. He holds up a pink, bite-size candy between his fingers that looks like the chopped-off end of a fish. "This, is a Total Drama Yum Yum Happy Go Time Candy Fish Tail. Why the long name, you ask? Well, it's my own darn creation, so deal with it! The Total Drama veterans love it, and you will too, if you buy a pack for just five dollars and ninety-nine cents. Trust me, it's worth every penny." He brings his face up close. "And if you think I'm lying, you can say it right up to my face, you hear?"

He disappears, and Owen pops up in his place. "Total Drama Yum Yum Happy Go Time Candy Fish Tails are the bomb! Seriously, they're like a party in my mouth! Not that most things aren't, but you know, still good."

Izzy replaces him, making a Fish Tail swim in midair. "Haha, these things are great! I can make a whole parade out of these and pretend they're corpses that rose from the dead!" She brings the candy to her nose and sniffs it. "Hm, smells like real dead fish, too. Fun!"

Chef reappears. "So buy a pack today, for just five ninety-nine. And if you buy a box of a dozen, we'll even have Owen deliver it himself to your doorstep!"

Owen walks up to him. "You will?" Chef shoves him off the screen and smiles ahead. "So call now, at 1-800-555-5555! That's 1-800-555-5555. Don't forget it or else, ya fruitcakes!"

* * *

Brick plants himself in front of the red container on the pile. He bends down and wraps both hands around it before pulling. His teeth grind, his arms quiver, and he squeezes his eyes shut while making sounds of exertion. The flamethrower pops out forcefully, throwing many smaller objects into the air. He tilts backward and lets go of it, his arms flying in a pinwheel motion. "Whoa-oh-oh!" He crumples into himself and rolls like a tumbleweed down the trash, following the path of the flamethrower. Both of them gain momentum until they hit the ground, on which they stop in a few seconds. Brick's legs fly up and land, unrolling the rest of his body parallel to the grass. "Ohhh..." he groans into it.

He lifts his face up and watches as a single black cylinder rolls down the pile and stops a foot away from him. "Pepper spray? Hm."

A newly-helmeted Jo picks out items from the bottom of her pile, tossing them behind her. "Vase... Pot... Random bottle... Laptop..." She tugs out a torn grocery bag with five baseballs; two fall out through the holes. "Well, what do ya know. Matching ammo." She picks up the fallen baseballs and puts all five in her hoodie pocket.

"Time's up!" Chris says. "Now it's time for the mutants to come out and play." He presses his remote, and the cage door swings open. The animals stream out onto the field like a small zoo, releasing nearly-deafening cries, growls, and screeches. Chris, Chef, and the audience cover their ears.

Fang growls at Jo and punches his fist in his hand, coming toward her. The fly and the three gophers go ahead of him; the beetle, the turtle, and the beavers head toward Brick. Larry shudders in Jo's direction and backs away.

Brick and Jo venture out from their endzones, brandishing their weapons. "Brick, the beetle is able to breathe fire! You need a metal shield!" Dawn shouts.

Brick stops and turns back to his junk pile. He leaps back and grabs a trash can lid off the bottom. The beavers rush toward him, and he pulls the trigger on his flamethrower. _FWOOSH!_ A beam of fire blasts forward, and they scatter out of the way. "Back! Back!" He sprints past with the canister tucked under his arm, and the beetle confronts him as the flames die off. It rises on its bottom legs and hisses; Brick lifts up his makeshift shield, blocking the fire that the beetle shoots out of its mouth.

Jo thumps her bat in her hand as the fly streaks toward her, smiling with sharpened eyes. "Batter up, Fly Guy." She lifts up the bat and swings it in a full arc. _CLANG!_ The fly spins uncontrollably through the sky, flapping its wings. Jo shakes out her right wrist. "Geez. Felt like I was hitting a bowling ball."

The gophers close in on her with a round of squealing. She looks up. "Oh, you guys wanna play, too?" Pulling out a baseball from her pocket, she chucks it at one gopher's face. It screams and gets on its hind legs, scratching where the baseball hit. Another gopher leaps at her, and she stops it with her bat held sideways in both hands. Her arms immediately begin to shake as she pushes the bat against its snout. The third one runs at her from behind, and she sends a foot into its nose. It scampers away as she struggles with the second gopher, gritting her teeth.

Brick starts up a sprint toward the beetle. Parting the flames, he bashes his shield into it and flips it over. He hurries past and glances behind him; the beavers stalk forward in a line. He sprays a stream of fire that burns the grass while pressing them back from the ten-yard line. The turtle jumps in front of him just as he turns around, lashing out with one clawed arm. Brick ducks out of the way and backs toward the edge, switching his canister to his left side and his shield on the other.

Back at the sidelines, the spectators excluding Dawn watch the challenge with glossed-over eyes, like watching a horror movie. Cameron nudges Dawn with his elbow. "They're handing the animals pretty well, Dawn. Take a look."

"I can't watch them maim the animals," she murmurs. "It would hurt me just as much."

Sam leans out from behind Cameron. "_That's_ what you're concerned about?"

"Shouldn't be a surprise," Anne Maria scoffs on Dawn's other side.

The gopher gnashes its teeth, making Jo's bat wobble back and forth. She slides a few steps back and exhales through her teeth, her knuckles white. "COME ON, JO! YOU'RE STRONGER THAN THE GOPHER!" Lightning screams.

Mike's eyes increase in width. "Too soon," he says, pointing at the approaching threats.

The other two gophers step toward her, making a triangle. She turns her head both ways, and sunlight brightens her eyes to lavender. "_Beep!_"

"Jo!" Brick shouts, looking at her. The turtle leaps for him, and he turns his flamethrower on it. Reflexively, it withdraws into its shell and swivels around, absorbing the fire. Jo hops back from the second gopher and presses the bat's end into its snout. She thrusts a hand under her collar, yanks out her whistle, and puts it to her lips. _**WEEEEEEEE! **_The gophers leap away like they got burned, shrieking with the same amount of pain.

Brick sprints past the turtle, looking ahead at Jo. "Phew!" A massive shadow slides over him, and he looks up. Larry is five yards away from him and stomping closer. "Oh, boy."

Larry sends an arm spiraling toward him. He jumps, the root snapping below him like a whip, and shoots fire at Larry. The Venus flytrap dances out of the way, but the stream disappears a second later. Brick shakes the canister, but no presence of liquid replies. "_Crud._"

He drops the flamethrower and throws his trash can lid like a frisbee, hitting Larry where his eyes would be, if he had any. The plant lets out a hideous screech as Brick cuts sideways, lashing out another arm. Brick curls into a somersault below it and springs up on Larry's right side. "Well, at least I'm not so burdened anymore."

Dakota's jaw falls, barely opening her mouth. "Did Brick really just throw out his only source of protection?"

"He had to distract Larry somehow," Sam replies with a shrug.

Fang walks toward Jo as she slows her panting to a controlled pace, her eyes bright and tired at the same time. They center on Fang, and she raises her bat. "Up for Round Two, aren't you?" **[5]**

The shark snarls and quickens his step. Within two yards of her, he sprints and lunges. Jo swings and whacks the side of his face, sending him staggering to the side. She races toward the football, and Fang quickly gathers his senses before chasing her.

Brick backs toward the center of the field, deflecting Larry's lash with a swift palm-strike. A barrage of sinewy roots race toward him, and he karate-chops one, elbows another away, ducks under one, and kicks the underside of the last, all in a few seconds. They withdraw, leaving Brick to walk backwards and catch his breath, a drop of sweat sliding down his temple. A new set of roots, thicker this time, fly out from Larry toward him, and his eyes shoot wider. "Again?"

As he blocks and dodges, the beavers flip the beetle back upright. All four mutants race back toward Brick, the turtle joining them along the way, and he sees them all as he fends off the last of Larry's arms. He heaves out a load of air, exhausting his supply. "Are you kidding me?"

His expression wears to the point of teetering toward giving up. Then, his eyes flash. He reaches into his boot and yanks out his pepper spray. Larry roars, and Brick shoots a stream of pepper spray into his mouth. The plant shuts it and immediately chokes, turning red and clutching its throat. It lets out a wheeze like it is dying before collapsing with an earth-shaking thump, its body weakly rising and falling. The other mutants falter, and Brick continues toward the football, pointing his spray at them.

Jo nears the football while Fang is honing in on her. She suddenly stops and turns around, pulling another baseball out. Throwing it high into the air, she brings her bat back and slams the ball as it comes back down. It sails straight into Fang's forehead, leaving a vivid red mark as it falls to the grass. His eyes roll back into his forehead, and he topples backwards. She brings one fist toward her chest before running the remaining yard to the ball. She snatches it and holds it in front of her, poising to kick.

Her arms shudder, as though fighting against her will. The shudder spreads to the rest of her body like a disease, immobilizing her. She swallows, and a tear curves down her cheek.

Brick bumps into her, and she drops the football. He whirls around. "Whoa! Sorry J- wait. Are- are you crying?"

She turns her back to him as she picks up the football. Brick sprays the mutants behind him, and they flee. Jo wipes her face before turning back to him. She holds out the ball. "Take it."

He steps back. "Wha... what?"

"Take it," she says more harshly, jerking it toward him. "You deserve it. My brothers don't."

"Your brothers aren't here, Jo," he says, as though trying to soothe her. "You're about to _win_. I won't take that away from you."

More tears force their way out of her eyes, which shine deep purple, almost black. "I can't win either way. I can't start my business either way. But the thought of handing my life goal to my brothers just-" She lets out a sob permeated by pain and covers her mouth with both hands, releasing the football. Brick pulls her into him, holding her back as she sobs into his shoulder.

The eliminated contestants look at each other, speechless. Brick pats her back softly, his expression quiet. Chef dabs furtively at his eyes with a tissue, and Chris dozes off in his throne. During the few minutes of Jo muffling her sounds, the mutant fly comes toward them, but Brick shoots pepper spray in its eyes and makes it flee. She steps away from Brick and crosses her arms, her eyes red. "I will personally kick the ball into your goal if you don't do it yourself."

"Don't you want the title, at least?" Brick says. "If you really don't want the money, you could give it to the other contestants. And you could keep a little bit for yourself, for starting your gym one day."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she murmurs. "They've already won."

"They can't steal the Total Drama champion title from you, though."

Her eyes fade in, then out. They become glittering stones. "If you really like me, you'll take it instead."

He draws back, twisting his mouth in a lopsided line. He hides it in his fist. When he comes up a few seconds later, his lips are righted, but his eyes are not. Everyone including Jo watches as he slowly bends toward the ground, sliding the ball into his hands. He walks past Jo, nearly brushing by her, and gets into position at the forty-yard line. Arms hanging in midair, his eyes meet Jo's one last time. She remains unrelenting.

Brick looks back to his goalpost and takes a deep breath. He drops the ball as his right foot swings up. The football hits his foot and flies through the middle of the goalpost.

Chris wakes up with a snort, lifting his head up. "And that's the conclusion to the finale! Brick is the winner of Total Drama Revenge of the Island!"

The eliminated contestants pour out of the stand onto the field. Sam claps a hand on Brick's shoulder. "Congratulations, bro!"

Brick smiles, but it looks halfhearted. "Thanks."

Lightning shakes hands with him. "I may have been rooting for Jo, but I'm still glad for you. You deserve to win." Brick retains his smile, including when the others congratulate him. Lightning soon breaks away from the group and looks for Jo, but she has disappeared.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo rubs her hands over her face. When she puts them down, she looks like she has not slept in days. "I should have congratulated Brick with everyone else, but of course, I couldn't just stay there and act normal. But then again, how could I? I made a whimpering fool out of myself on national television."

Someone knocks on the door twice. She turns around.

* * *

Jo steps out of the stall, and Brick stands in front of her. They both rub one arm and look away for a moment.

Jo looks at him first and opens her mouth. "I'm sorry for letting the whole world know you like me."

He starts, then chuckles. "Oh, I think quite a few knew already. I didn't hide it that well."

"I'm also sorry for basically blackmailing you into winning."

Brick lets out another chuckle, as though it was knocked out of him. "Please, Jo. We both know I was being too stubborn to respect your wishes. Anyway, I just came by to give you this." He rummages in his pocket and pulls out a wad of hundred-dollar bills.

She hesitates before gently taking it from him. "Thanks."

"No problem."

A brief silence passes, and Jo looks down. "I'm not ready to enter a relationship, Brick," she says quietly.

"I know," he says, just as quiet. "I don't think I am, either. At most, I thought of kissing you, but I didn't know where we'd go from there."

She steps closer and stares into his eyes. "We could continue being friends until we figure it out."

Brick squeezes his eyes shut, unable to contain the smile that appears. "A kiss is either going to satisfy me, or make me go crazy."

Jo snorts lightly, putting a hand on the side of his face. "Please. You can contain yourself."

"Let's hope so." He wraps his arms around her waist and gently pulls her in, and she holds both sides of his face. They lean in and fit their lips together, closing their eyes; their kiss is warm, but not heavy. It lasts three seconds before they pull away from each other.

Brick has a glazed look in his eyes before he shakes it away. He grins. "Well. That was fun."

Jo slaps his forehead and smirks, walking away. "Too bad it's not a reliable source, Macho."

Brick follows her, rubbing where she hit him. "I'm gonna go nuts. I can already feel it."

* * *

**DOCK OF SHAME**

All of the contestants balance on one speedboat with Chef at the wheel, Brick holding the million dollar case in the middle. "Thanks for helping me make this thing lighter, everyone," he chuckles. Everyone except Scott laughs, and even he shows a hint of a smile.

"Sayonara, losers!" Chris says, standing on the dock. "I'm sure you'll all miss me and your time here."

The contestants hardly have time to give him looks of death before the air fills with the chopping of helicopters. Chris looks up. "What the-"

Three helicopters zoom down on him. "YOU'RE BUSTED, MCLEAN!" a man's voice barks out from one of them, magnified by a microphone.

"HUH? FOR WHAT?" Chris yells over the chopping.

"FOR CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER, THAT'S WHAT! THIS ISLAND IS NOW UNDER GOVERNMENT PROTECTION, AND WE'VE BEEN AUTHORIZED TO BRING YOU BACK FOR JAIL DUTY!"

Ladders fall out of the helicopters, and countless people in yellow body suits and masks climb out onto the dock. Two of them seize Chris and drag him toward a ladder. "Hey! Let go of me! I wasn't the one who put toxic waste everywhere! Chef, help me out here!"

"I ain't messin' with the law, Chris," Chef says, grinning. "Besides, you know you had it coming."

He huffs, struggling against his holders. "Okay, maybe, but not like this! This is unbelievable! I'm calling my lawyer the minute I can get to my phone!" The two strangers shove Chris onto the ladder and force him upward as he grumbles.

The people in the yellow suits spread out into the campground, many carrying first-aid kits with them. One goes up to Dawn and shakes her hand. "I wanted to thank you personally for calling us, Dawn," the person says with a warm female voice. "It's people like you that help make the world a better place."

The other campers stare dumbfoundedly at Dawn as she gives a delicate smile. "Oh, it's my pleasure." She gestures to Cameron beside her, who blinks between her and the woman. "You can also thank my friend, Cameron, for providing the notes needed to cure the animals."

The woman takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "Thank you very much for your incredible notes, Cameron. It is clear that you're a genius who knows a whole lot. Would you perhaps like to join us in repairing the island?"

"Um, is that what Dawn's doing?" Cameron asks, turning to Dawn.

"Nope, I'm going to care for the animals here from home, in the animal hospital," she replies.

"I think that's what I'll do, too."

"There's an animal hospital?" Lightning says, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yes!" Dawn says, her eyes lighting up. "It's a wonderful place, you all should come visit!"

"Sure, Dawn!" Brick says.

"Why not?" Zoey says with a smile.

Scott crosses his arms as the boat takes off, crossing Lake Wawanakwa back toward civilization. "I hate animals."

* * *

**Annotations:**

**[1]**\- In the very first episode, Scott said he'd never listen to Mike again. Again, a piece of irony that probably only I remember as the writer.

**[2]**\- There HAS to be at least one person who understands this reference.

**[3]**\- Brick here is referring to when he and Mike raced to save Lindsay in "Runaway Model", and Mike won.

**[4]**\- I have no idea how this ended up being here. I mean, this challenge is like the Super Bowl, which has a ton of commercials, and... yeah.

**[5]**\- In case you don't remember, Jo is referring to when she warded off Fang in "Backstabbers Ahoy!".

NOTE: Thank you so much for reading and supporting. I couldn't have made it here without you guys. Especially the people who reviewed a lot and well. x)

Brick was supposed to be the winner before I even started this story. Jo was supposed to be second. (There will soon be an alternate ending out in which Jo wins, however, so watch out for that.) I switched around a lot of eliminations throughout the story, but Brick and Jo were among the few constants. They aren't even my favorite characters from the canon season (Lightning for the win!), but I was intrigued by their dynamic in canon and wanted to explore it to its fullest potential. And _voila_. Friendship finale. It was the kind of finale I wanted to write from the start, and although TDROTI didn't have a humongous amount of friendships in the first place, Jo's and Brick's friendship was the most interesting to me.

One thing I didn't anticipate, however, was the amount of development in Brick, Jo, and practically everyone else. Sure, I had plots in mind, but so many of them grew into something else altogether. And truthfully, I'm grateful for it, because that's what made this story have more layers and depth. I strove from the start to write to the best of my ability, but I did not perceive how much of my heart I would put into this.

Another thing that I'm still surprised by is how popular this story has become. My first story, and it already has 30+ follows and favorites_ each_, and extremely close to a 100 reviews. To think I was shooting for 50 reviews by the end of it all! And I did not expect to meet so many awesome people with amazing amounts of insight into my writing, who have left kind words and advice that I'll remember forever and have made me a better, more confident writer. I give a huge thank you to those people in particular. I also thank the people who inspired me and some of what I wrote in this story, which is too many to count.

This isn't the end of my writing on here. After I write the alternate ending, I'll be going back and correcting all the grammatical mistakes I made along the way to this point, which is a lot. I'll also be making quite a few adjustments to the earliest chapters, since those were my weakest. But hey, better to go from worse to better than better to worse, right? And after that, not counting the relaxing break(s) I take in between, I'll be starting my next season story coming up, Total Drama Fans vs Favorites. I'll be writing a lot of it before I publish it for the sake of earlier updates, but it should be out before September, when school starts up again for me. And in case you're wondering, it will be connected to the events from this story and have 22 contestants (not counting events that will change the number), 11 coming from each generation (not the third, of course). The cast is already decided, so feel free to ask me about whether your favorite characters are in or not. Just not a huge amount. x) And a bit of shameless advertisement to finish this paragraph off: if you want to see more of my writing while waiting for the season, I have two one-shots and a short story you can check out whenever you like.

If there's anything that you've wanted to say but have held back, now is the time to say it. (That is, unless you want to wait until Jo's ending.) I appreciate every single one of you guys' opinions, and I enjoy replying to you all as well. Questions aren't off-limits, either. ;-)

Once again, thank you. It's been an extremely fun ride with you all.


	25. Alternate Ending

Jo nears the football while Fang is honing in on her. She suddenly stops and turns around, pulling another baseball out. Throwing it high into the air, she brings her bat back and slams the ball as it comes back down. It sails straight into Fang's forehead, leaving a vivid red mark as it falls to the grass. His eyes roll back into his forehead, and he topples backwards. She brings one fist toward her chest before running the remaining yard to the ball. She snatches it and holds it in front of her, poising to kick.

Her arms shudder, as though fighting against her will. The shudder spreads to the rest of her body like a disease, immobilizing her. She swallows, and a tear curves down her cheek.

Brick bumps into her, and she drops the football. He whirls around. "Whoa! Sorry J- wait. Are- are you crying?"

She turns her back to him as she picks up the football. Brick sprays the mutants behind him, and they flee. Jo wipes her face before turning back to him. She holds out the ball. "Take it."

He steps back. "Wha... what?"

"Take it," she says more harshly, jerking it toward him. "You deserve it. My brothers don't."

"Your brothers aren't here, Jo," he says, as though trying to soothe her. "You're about to _win_. I won't take that away from you."

More tears force their way out of her eyes, which shine deep purple, almost black. "I can't win either way. I can't start my business either way. But the thought of handing my life goal to my brothers just-" She lets out a sob permeated by pain and covers her mouth with both hands, releasing the football. Brick pulls her into him, holding her back as she sobs into his shoulder.

The eliminated contestants look at each other, speechless. Brick pats her back softly, his expression quiet. Chef dabs furtively at his eyes with a tissue, and Chris dozes off in his throne. During the few minutes of Jo muffling her sounds, the mutant fly comes toward them, but Brick shoots pepper spray in its eyes and makes it flee. She steps away from Brick and crosses her arms, her eyes red. "I will personally kick the ball into your goal if you don't do it yourself."

"Don't you want the title, at least?" Brick says. "If you really don't want the money, you could give it to the other contestants. And you could keep a little bit for yourself, for starting your gym one day."

"It doesn't matter anymore," she murmurs. "They've already won."

"They can't steal the Total Drama champion title from you, though."

Jo's eyes fade in, then out. They come back into focus, glimmering with a new light separate from her tears. "I suppose."

"You've worked so hard to get here, Jo," Brick whispers. "Don't let that go to waste now."

Jo bends down and picks up the ball, uncertainty stiffening her movement and expression. She raises it in front of her and turns her head to Brick. "Just so you know, I'll give some of the money to you. Enough for you to enroll in fashion school."

He smiles and ducks his head, as though to hide his smile. "That's really not necessary."

"It is. You need to start fresh and get another chance to be yourself."

He looks up and meets her eyes, unibrow set low. "Thank you."

"It's nothing, seriously." She turns her gaze to her goalpost, squints, and lets the ball drop. She slams her foot into it, and it makes a clean arc through the air, dropping through the goalpost like it was attracted there by a magnet.

Chris wakes up with a snort, lifting his head up. "And that's the conclusion to the finale! Jo is the winner of Total Drama Revenge of the Island!"

The eliminated contestants pour out of the stand onto the field, clapping and cheering. Brick and Jo turn to each other and embrace, their arms criss-crossing. "Congratulations, new winner," Brick whispers in her ear.

"Fifty to one now," she whispers in his, her lips splitting into a grin.

He smirks and pulls away. "That's a lie."

"It almost isn't."

Lightning leaps in between them, raising his hand toward Jo for a high-five. "Sha-whoo hoo! You're an uber-champ now, sister!"

"Hold on just a minute, bub," Jo snaps, not moving a limb. "You're a complete idiot if you actually think I forgot that you stole my whistle. I may have put aside my feelings for the game, but don't think we're pals, or even acquaintances for that matter."

Lightning's eyelids flap three times. "Say what? Dude, that was Scott, not me!"

"I can testify for Lightning," Mike says, stepping in. "Scott was shown stealing everyone's stuff in the footage."

Jo whirls on Scott, who is already backing toward the entrance. "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, SCOTT!" She hurtles toward him, splitting the crowd like a knife through butter.

"_Beep!_" Scott scrambles to the entrance and sprints out of the stadium, Jo shooting after him.

"GO, JO!" Lightning shouts before melting into laughter with the rest of the group.

* * *

CONFESSIONAL: JO

Jo reclines against the side of the stall with her hands behind her head. She wears a neutral expression- not happy, but not sad, either. "I can't say that I'm thrilled about winning, thanks to my liar of a father... but at least I can lord my new status and fame over my brothers now. Maybe that'll make them respect me a little more. And they're gonna be pissed that I shared my winnings with everyone but Scott, but truthfully? I don't care. As if I'm ever gonna let them make easy money off of me. I'd rather burn it in a volcano."

* * *

She steps out of the stall and nearly bumps into Brick. They stagger away from each other. "Whoa!" Both put a hand behind their head. "Sorry."

Jo and Brick share a light chuckle; it fades away softly. "Now that we're done imitating each other, I suppose you're wondering why I told you to wait for your share of the money," Jo says.

He shifts in place. "Actually, I came to make my own confessional, but yeah. I am."

Jo rummages through her hoodie pocket and pulls out five stacks of dollar bills, holding them out like an offering. He does a double take. "Is that- for me?"

"Duh," Jo says, and a grin breaks through her expression a second later. "I didn't wanna give you this huge load in front of everyone else."

He looks at her, not trying to lift up his slack features. "What did I do to make you think I deserve this?"

"All you did was be yourself, basically."

Brick shuts his eyes and slide a hand over his mouth. "My God." He takes a breath through his mouth before uncovering it and looking at Jo once more. "Jo, I have a confession to make. What you just said really made me want to kiss you."

She quirks an eyebrow. "So that's how you confess that you like me. I was bracing myself for a ritual where you got on one knee and took my hand in yours."

His face goes blank. "You- you knew?"

She sighs quietly. "Yeah, I knew. But here's the thing, Brick... I'm not ready to enter a relationship. With anyone."

A silent pause. "That's what I thought," he says softly, looking to the side. "I don't think I am, either. At most, I thought of kissing you, but I didn't know where we'd go from there."

She steps closer and stares into his eyes. "We could continue being friends until we figure it out."

Brick squeezes his eyes shut, unable to contain the smile that appears. "A kiss is either going to satisfy me, or make me go crazy."

Jo snorts lightly, putting a hand on the side of his face. "Please. You can contain yourself."

"Let's hope so." He wraps his arms around her waist and gently pulls her in, and she holds both sides of his face. They lean in and fit their lips together, closing their eyes; their kiss is warm, but not heavy. It lasts three seconds before they pull away from each other.

Brick has a glazed look in his eyes before he shakes it away. He grins. "Well. That was fun."

Jo slaps his forehead and smirks, walking away. "Too bad it's not a reliable source, Macho."

Brick follows her, rubbing where she hit him. "I'm gonna go nuts. I can already feel it."

* * *

**DOCK OF SHAME**

All of the contestants balance on one speedboat with Chef at the wheel, Jo holding the million dollar case in the middle. "Who's ready to leave this dump?" She raises her hand. "I sure am." Twelve other hands shoot up, and twelve voices agree with her.

"Sayonara, losers!" Chris says, standing on the dock. "Yeah, I can't deny that this place _is_ a dump. But I'm sure you'll miss me, though!"

The contestants hardly have time to give him looks of death before the air fills with the chopping of helicopters. Chris looks up. "What the-"

Three helicopters zoom down on him. "YOU'RE BUSTED, MCLEAN!" a man's voice barks out from one of them, magnified by a microphone.

"HUH? FOR WHAT?" Chris yells over the chopping.

"FOR CREATING AN ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER, THAT'S WHAT! THIS ISLAND IS NOW UNDER GOVERNMENT PROTECTION, AND WE'VE BEEN AUTHORIZED TO BRING YOU BACK FOR JAIL DUTY!"

Ladders fall out of the helicopters, and countless people in yellow body suits and masks climb out onto the dock. Two of them seize Chris and drag him toward a ladder. "Hey! Let go of me! I wasn't the one who put toxic waste everywhere! Chef, help me out here!"

"I ain't messin' with the law, Chris," Chef says, grinning. "Besides, you know you had it coming."

He huffs, struggling against his holders. "Okay, maybe, but not like this! This is unbelievable! I'm calling my lawyer the minute I can get to my phone!" The two strangers shove Chris onto the ladder and force him upward as he grumbles.

The people in the yellow suits spread out into the campground, many carrying first-aid kits with them. One goes up to Dawn and shakes her hand. "I wanted to thank you personally for calling us, Dawn," the person says with a warm female voice. "It's people like you that help make the world a better place."

The other campers stare dumbfoundedly at Dawn as she gives a delicate smile. "Oh, it's my pleasure." She gestures to Cameron beside her, who blinks between her and the woman. "You can also thank my friend, Cameron, for providing the notes needed to cure the animals."

The woman takes his hand and shakes it firmly. "Thank you very much for your incredible notes, Cameron. It is clear that you're a genius who knows a whole lot. Would you perhaps like to join us in repairing the island?"

"Um, is that what Dawn's doing?" Cameron asks, turning to Dawn.

"Nope, I'm going to care for the animals here from home, in the animal hospital," she replies.

"I think that's what I'll do, too."

"There's an animal hospital?" Lightning says, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yes!" Dawn says, her eyes lighting up. "It's a wonderful place, you all should come visit!"

"Sure, Dawn!" Brick says.

"Why not?" Zoey says with a smile.

Scott crosses his arms as the boat takes off, crossing Lake Wawanakwa back toward civilization. "I hate animals."

* * *

NOTE: Well, this took shorter than I thought. Probably because I copied and pasted most of the original ending. I hope this was satisfying enough for people who were rooting for Jo, though. As you can see, Jo's decision weighed on whether she wanted the Total Drama winner title enough to grab it, or not. In the original, she was too overwhelmed by her loss to salvage what she could of winning, but here, she wasn't.

I'm not sure when I'll be starting my next season story. I'll be taking a break to edit this story and read other fanfictions, but I have high hopes that TDFvsF will turn out better than this story, my first and flawed. I'll be less prone to copying the script from canon, at least. x) And after that is All-Stars, then Pahkitew.

Goodbye for now, everyone. It's been a true pleasure. :-)


End file.
